Swirls of Black and Green
by Colorful and Free
Summary: After Castle Bleck, Luigi emerged with two personalities inside of him: himself and Mr. L. Now, the two men have a choice to make: either learn to live together or fuse back into one. Daisy loving both doesn't make the choice much easier. Warning: Contains self-harm. LuigixDaisyxMr. L with a side of MarioxPeach. Rated T for language and self-harm. Now revising!
1. Three Little Cuts

_Summary:_ _After Castle Bleck, Luigi emerged with two personalities inside of him: himself and Mr. L. Now, the two men have a choice to make: either learn to live together or fuse back into one. Daisy loving both doesn't make the choice much easier. Warning: Contains self-harm. LuigixDaisyxMr. L with a side of MarioxPeach. Rated T for language and self-harm._

 _Disclaimer: Super Paper Mario and characters here belong to Nintendo. The plot belongs to me._

 _EDIT from 12/23/18: Revising the fanfic so it fits better with Thunder Storm and...Well, itself. Enjoy!_

* * *

"I AM MR. L!"

Luigi opened his eyes. He looked around frantically. However, all he saw was an endless room of jade. He rubbed his head and tried to think. _Mr. L? Who is that? And...Was that my voice!?_

An image flashed through his mind. He was with his friends: Mario, Peach, and Bowser. Count Bleck and Nastasia were across from them on the other side. The former was tattered and beaten while the latter was unconscious. The chaos heart was hovering above them, as well as Dimentio. Some words were spoken, though Luigi couldn't make out what they were. Just distorted dialogue. He could've sworn that he felt his own lips moving during some of it.

Then everything returned to jade. _I should be with them right now, but I can't. Dimentio has gained control of my body somehow. What should I do?_

Luigi didn't have much time to think about it. The next thing he knew, he felt himself being pulled away by wind. No, not wind. Some greater force, more powerful than a black hole. He screamed and heard it echo off the walls of this strange room. It didn't even seem like it was him. Then everything turned to darkness. Luigi's mind became murky and vague. It was like paint, black and green swirled together without any thought or care.

 _Someone, help me._

Luigi woke up from his dream sweating and panting. He tried his best to calm down. He glanced around. The room was dark, but it wasn't like the endless room of the past. This one had a bed that he was in right now, a nightstand, a dresser, and pictures of his friends on the wall. The only similarity was that there was green everywhere. Black and green.

He sighed. He had never been more grateful that he stopped sharing a room with Mario in his life. Luigi hopped out of bed and felt soft carpet underneath his feet. The man went to his bathroom, which was only one door away.

He turned on the lights and sat on the edge of his bathtub. Luigi had no idea why he was doing this. Maybe he just needed to get away from bed. He took a deep breath. He grabbed a green cup and filled it with water. Then he drank it down. After he had calmed down a little, he tried to recollect his thoughts.

This wasn't the first time he had a nightmare. Ever since Castle Bleck and the near end of the world a month ago, Luigi had been having horrible dreams at night. They would always involve the mysterious Mr. L, which Luigi was tricked into becoming. Mario had told him everything...Twice. Anyway, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He had no idea what that other side of him was doing, but all Luigi knew was total loss of control.

Of course, he hid this from Mario and the people he loved. He didn't want them to be scared of him or worse. Luigi rubbed his hand under his bangs. Sometimes, he still turned into Mr. L to this day. Although he was trying to gain control of it, his efforts were fruitless. Surprisingly, he wasn't the only one who hated this. Mario told him that after he let Mr. L know who he really was and showed him proof, he was so angry that he marched back to Castle Bleck and demanded that that Nastasia girl erase him. She said that she couldn't without Dimentio, but he was always welcome to come back and stay for a bit. It was a generous offer, but it didn't help much.

He cursed under his breath, something he rarely ever did. "Shit." Then he saw something bright green out of the corner of his eye. His razor.

Luigi grabbed it and stared at his arm. He looked at the horizontal scar that was already there. It was from last week, when he had a similar nightmare. He ended up forgetting those morbid dreams, but they were traumatizing at the time. He frowned and held his skin down. 3, 2, 1. Luigi tried to cut himself. Nothing. The second time, his skin turned red. The third time, he drew blood.

Luigi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Relief. Satisfaction. He was supposed to be disgusted with himself, but he wasn't. He would be in the morning, but that didn't matter now. This was why he did it. Escape from the pain. This was also why he didn't tell Mario. He was always smiling and happy-go-lucky. He would never understand.

Now, he had two scars. Even they reminded him of his brother. One under the other. Two twin brothers. One never seen without the other on top, dominating him and wowing everyone. "Better make it three," Luigi thought aloud. He made one more scar. Then he decided that was enough for the night. Of course, he wouldn't forget the euphoria. He would do it again later. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the day right after. Maybe next week.

Luigi yawned. With that, the man in green turned off the lights and went back to bed. If only that was the last time.

* * *

 _Headcanon: Luigi only curses if he's angry or frustrated and that doesn't happen often._

 _-Colorful and Free_


	2. One Princess, Two Men

_Warning: The rest of this fic contains some modern technology and...TEXTING WHILE DRIVING! DUN, DUN, DUUN!_ _If this stuff turns you off...Suck it up and keep reading anyway. Lol, jk. You do you._

 _Thanks to the person who reviewed last chapter. I really appreciate it. A lot of headcanons at the end! (Update from the Future: Heh. I'm now dating this person...)_

 _Edit from 12/31/18: What was I thinking, having him French kiss a girl he didn't know!? Ah well. That's fixed. All I knew how to do back then was write like he was in Alone at Home. (Everything else about that story was fine. Mr. L was lowkey rapey though.)_

* * *

Two years later, Luigi dusted off his navy blue tux. That night, he was going out on a date with the most beautiful girl in the world, Princess Daisy. They had been dating for a few months now. He wasn't sure how he blurted the truth out, but he was lucky that she accepted it and felt the same way. They had been on a lot of dates before, but never to a fancy restaurant. Plus, they had been shorter lately due to his...Condition. That made it all the more special though. Luigi would do everything in his power to make this night perfect.

He stared at himself in the mirror. His green bowtie was crooked a little. Luigi was about to fix it when... "Need help with that, bro?"

Luigi jumped. Mario laughed beside him and fixed it. The younger brother blushed, but not out of love. "I was just about to fix it myself, Mr. Jumps-all-the-time!" Mario stepped back a little. He blinked a few times. Luigi frowned, irritated. "What?"

"Mr. L?"

His eyes widened. He didn't want to think of _him_ tonight. "No. It's me. Look at my eyes." Luigi was told that they became silver when he was his other self.

Mario let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. That wouldn't have gone well."

"You think?"

Mario had a concerned look on his face. "You okay, Luigi?"

He sighed. "Yeah. I'm just a little nervous. I want this night to be perfect. No green thunder or whatever he calls himself. Just me and my girlfriend. The two of us. So, don't you dare pop up with Peach and say hi like you did at that picnic!"

The older Mario brother laughed. "I won't, promise!"

Luigi narrowed his eyes. Somehow, he doubted that. He held out his pinky. "Pinky promise?"

Mario rolled his eyes. "You're almost 30 and you're still doing the pinky promises?" Then he saw his serious expression. He sighed and held out his pinky. They wrapped each other's pinkies around the other. "Pinky promise."

Luigi smiled. "Good! Now, I'll be off! Don't wait up on me, 'kay? And lock the door when I leave!"

The red one waved. "I will! Bye, bro! Good luck!"

The green one waved back and left his bedroom. He went out the front door and shut it behind him. When he heard the click indicating that Mario locked it, Luigi got in his car and drove to the restaurant. He was so excited that it was hard to stay still. Maybe he was a hypocrite for saying that Mario jumped a lot when he was practically bouncing in his seat. _Look out, Daisy! Here comes your knight in shining armor!"  
_

Nothing would get in his way.

* * *

Daisy was sitting at the table of Queens, waiting for her date to show up. She was tapping her apricot painted nails on the table. Suddenly, her phone made a _PING!_ sound. She pulled out her phone and entered the password. It was her cousin and good friend, Peach. _How's the date with your man going?_

She frowned. _He's not here yet. I'm starting to get a little worried. I hope it's not that fashionably late bull crap. I'm not in the mood for that._

As soon as she sent the text, she saw a man in a navy blue tux following the hostess to her table. He didn't wear his green cap today and his brown hair was slicked to the left. He was blushing a little. She smiled and sent another text. _I spoke too soon._ Then she turned her phone off and put it into her purse.

Luigi sat down with Daisy. His blue eyes sparkled. "Hey, flower. Is this seat taken?"

The princess chuckled. Even though he was trying to be suave and cool, he was still blushing. "Why no, good sir. I'm saving it for my date, Luigi, but he's not here yet."

Luigi's smile grew even more. "Well, then, I'm just going to have to stay with you until he shows up." He scanned her outfit. She wore a red dress that touched the floor, but only barely. She had short sleeves that went a little above her elbow. She had a right knee-high slit and something told him she was wearing high heels. Her appearance reminded him of Mario's ex-girlfriend, Pauline. _But Daisy is a lot cuter._

"You look lovely tonight, Daisy."

She smiled. "Thank you, but you look more lovely." She blushed a little. "I mean, um...More handsome."

Luigi laughed. "Good to know I'm not the only one nervous tonight."

A waitress came and asked what he would like to drink. She was a bright red toad with a red apron. He pretended to think. "How about some of your famous red wine? And, um, 'shroom soup with a side salad."

She nodded and left them. A few minutes later, she came back and filled his glass with wine. He grinned when he noticed that Daisy also had wine. He held his glass up. "To us!" He clinked glasses with Daisy. "Just the two of us." Even though Mario promised, Luigi still searched for him. When he couldn't find him, he let out a sigh of relief.

Daisy noticed this. "What is it?"

"I made Mario promise to stay at home. I was just making sure he went through with that promise. Remember that time we had that picnic at the big oak tree?"

She laughed. "I remember. But just in case they are here, let's give them something to stare at."

Luigi blushed, but nodded. She leaned in a little across the table. He closed the gap. Their lips touched. His kiss was warm and gentle. Her kiss was like her name sake, sweet and flowery. Then they pulled apart. Daisy laughed at his blush. She was blushing too, though his was a lot more red and prominent. "You're so red!"

He looked down. "Quiet, you..."

Daisy laughed. "You're adorable."

After ten minutes or so of talking casually, the waitress came back with their food. "Fruity Roasted 'Shroom?" Daisy raised her hand and she put the food down on her side. The waitress raised up the other tray. "And 'Shroom Soup with the side salad." She put the food down on Luigi's side. "You lovebirds enjoy your meal."

They both thanked the waitress and she walked away. Luigi and Daisy dug in. "So," He started. "Out of all your previous boyfriends...How do I compare?"

Daisy pretended to think. "Mmm...You're okay."

Luigi gasped and playfully punched Daisy in the shoulder. It wasn't hard though. She burst out laughing. "Kidding! Kidding! You're great. The best by far. And me?"

"I think you're my only _serious_ girlfriend. That should say it all."

The princess smiled. "You're cute."

He grinned. A small blush appeared on his cheeks. She giggled. He was like an innocent school boy who had a crush. For the most part, she supposed, he was. Daisy leaned in. "How about another kiss?"

Luigi nodded. Daisy closed her eyes and puckered her lips. He was about to lean in when something switched in his brain. His eyes widened a little. Luigi stared past Daisy, past what was happening now. He sat back in his seat. His mind slowed down. It was getting hard to think. Then the worst happened. Luigi lowered his head slowly. Everything blacked out.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, they were silver. Luigi lifted his head quickly. He saw the princess' puckered lips and blinked, scooting back in his chair. He looked around the restaurant. Where was he? How did he get there? "Wee-gee? You okay?"

His eyes landed on the woman in front of him. She appeared concerned. "...Who are you?"

Her eyes widened and she flinched. "What!?"

"You heard me."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I've seen pictures of you in my room," He said, remembering the picture of her next to the one of him and Mario as children. "You're very pretty, by the way. I like your dress."

"Luigi, it's me! Daisy! You know? Your girlfriend for the past two months?"

He leaned forward. "Girlfriend? Ah. Guess he finally made a move. I'll have to congratulate him somehow when we get home." He grinned. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm-"

Just then, their waitress appeared. "Is everyone doing okay here? How's the food?"

Luigi grinned. "We're doing alright." He took a sip of his soup. He was pleasantly surprised by the mix of sweet shroom and different spices. "This soup is magnificent! Like me. Heh."

The waitress furrowed her brows for a moment. However, she quickly recovered and smiled again. "Well, you just let me know if you need anything else! I'll be here all night!" With that, she left.

He turned back to Daisy. "Where was I?" Before she could answer, he noticed that she was almost done with her meal. "Oh. You're almost done." He leaned forward, smirking. "How about we skip the dinner and go straight to dessert, huh, cutie?"

She didn't appreciate his attempts at flattery. She crossed her arms. "Is some kind of game?"

"I assure you, dear. This is no game. I'm just trying to show you a good time is all!"

Daisy looked away and muttered, "I mean...You were. Before you started acting weird."

Luigi frowned. "Wait. You mean...He didn't tell you?"

"Who didn't tell me what?"

He sighed, giving himself a facepalm. "Fuck." When he glanced back at Daisy, she appeared surprised. "Well, if that's the case, then it's not my fault that you don't understand. I can't control what he does. And he can't control me."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, annoyed.

He groaned. "Don't you get it? I'm _not_ Luigi!"

"Yes, you are! Unless he _magically_ disappeared and traded places with some stranger who looks and sounds exactly like him!" She rubbed her head. "Except why are you talking in that accent? Are you trying to mimic Pauline or something?"

She finally noticed his American accent. Frowning, he asked, "Who's Pauline?"

She glared. "You better stop playing dumb or I'm calling this off! Just admit that you're in on some joke that Mario thought of! Or something like that!"

He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. "Listen here, girl. I'm not the guy you think I am." He sighed, turning away. He muttered under his breath, "Why didn't Luigi tell you?"

"He didn't have to tell me anything because _you're_ Luigi!"

"Am not! I'm the Green Thunder!"

"What in the Underwhere does that even mean?"

"What do you think!?"

Daisy looked around and noticed nearly everyone looking in their direction. Some people were whispering. As much as she wanted answers, she couldn't stand embarrassment. She stood, hands on her hips. "You know what? I'm done. Come back to me when you're acting like yourself."

Luigi huffed. He watched her walk away. "Fine. Go ahead, Miss Priss," He muttered. Next, he turned to the people who were still staring at him. "Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer!"

Most looked away. Others continued to stare, obviously not getting it. He rolled his eyes and took another slurp of his soup. He sat for a few seconds before realizing that his other self wouldn't be happy with him if he let her leave. Besides, he didn't like seeing her upset. "Princess...You are a princess, right?"

"Shut up!" She shouted from a distance.

Luigi frowned. He took out his wallet, then pulled out all the cash needed to pay for the meal. Then he stood up and followed her.

Daisy had just got out the door when he grabbed her hand. She cried out. "Let go of me, you insensitive-!"

She froze. Her eyes grew wide. She noticed her favorite feature had changed. His beautiful blue eyes were now silver. She knew that he wasn't wearing any colored contacts right now. This was no prank. It was a gut feeling.

He laughed nervously. "You see? I'm not who you think I am."

The princess stepped back. Her voice trembled. "W-What?" She pointed at him. "Your eyes changed!"

Luigi stepped forward. "Look, I can explain."

Daisy shook her head and stepped back. She had enough surprises for one night. "No. Get away from me!" The princess pulled her hand free and ran. She heard him calling after her. "Princess, wait!" She ignored it. Daisy went into her limo and the chauffeur drove away.

Luigi...Or rather, Mr. L, sighed. "Girls..." He wandered through the parking lot, disappointed and thrown off guard. Not to mention he had no idea where Luigi parked the car. "I don't get what you see in her, Lightning. She wouldn't even let me explain before freaking out..."

After looking for five minutes or so, he found his car. He got in and shut the door, then put his key in his ignition. Mr. L drove off, singing to himself.

Halfway through the ride home, he got a text. He peered at it and read it. _Wee-gee, Daisy said that you were acting weird at the date. You okay?_

It was Mario. Putting one hand on the wheel, he texted back a reply. _She's the one acting weird. By the way, don't call me Wee-gee. L._

He thought for a few more minutes. Then he scrolled through his contact list. Then he found it. "Former Minions (group chat)". He texted something to the group, which he hadn't done in awhile. _Driving home._ _Luigi's girlfriend is really sassy. Mario obviously prefers his bro, which I can't be all the time. Seriously contemplating moving back."_

Mr. L didn't have to wait long. He got a quick reply. _OMG! You're really thinking about moving back with us!? I can't wait! We can stay up late telling stories and sharing popcorn and talking about cute boys! You swing both ways, right? This will so much fun!_ He didn't even need to read the signature to know who it was. "Mimi," He muttered under his breath.

He texted back. _Just because I swing both ways doesn't mean I wanna talk about cute guys. I just want to relax, you know?_

A reply from someone else. _We'll support ya no matter what. Just remember to think about both sides of ya! -Chunks._

Mr. L huffed. _Like Luigi doesn't do that every day._

One last reply. _Nastasia says to focus on driving, Mr. L. -M_

As if one cue, a car honked at him and shot past him. He huffed. "Jackass." Then he took Nastasia's advice. Maybe it was a good thing that she couldn't get rid of him. Luigi was kind of a wimp on his own. Maybe he needed to flex his more confident side.

Of course, having two personalities wasn't always a good thing. Soon, his mind went slow. Mr. L shook his head. He spoke in a slurred voice. "Not now, Luigi. I'm driving...You...Home."

His head fell down. The wheel started to spin in his hands. His car began to swerve. Then Luigi opened his eyes.

* * *

He heard the wheels of his car screeching. He looked around frantically. Luigi screamed and grabbed the wheel. He tried to pull over on the far left side of the road. Instead, he stopped on the grass. The man undid his seat belt and took deep breaths. "What the heck?"

What happened? The last thing he remembered was being with Daisy. He was just about to kiss her. Why was he out here on the road, confused and disoriented? Luigi turned on his phone. _7:58._ His eyes widened. "Huh?" Even more confused, he opened his text messages. He found one that he sent Mario just a couple minutes ago...But he didn't remember sending it. The most frequent contact was the group chat with the former minions of Count Bleck. There were also a few in there that he didn't remember sending.

Luigi's eyes grew wide as he came to a sudden realization. "Oh no, you didn't!" He exited the group messages and scrolled down until he found Daisy's name in his contact list. He pressed the text message button. He read through the last words they sent each other.

 _Ready for our date 2night, gorgeous?_

 _You know I am. Don't forget. Queens at 7. I'll be the one in the sexy red dress._

 _I could never forget what you look like. On my way!_

Luigi hesitated before sending his next message. _Daisy? I'm sorry for acting weird at dinner._

He had to wait a good five to ten minutes for a reply. _You mean the part where you forgot you were dating me or what you said about skipping to dessert?_

Luigi blushed. What did Mr. L do? _Both. Everything. I'm so very sorry. I promise that I'll make it up somehow._

This time, Daisy didn't wait to respond. _I don't know if I could accept right now. I'm really disappointed, to be honest. We'll talk about this later. In person._

Luigi started tearing up. He sent back a weak reply, _Okay._ Then he turned off his phone and continued driving. Out of all the people that this could have happened to, why did it have to be him? He never asked for this. He never wanted to be someone he wasn't. Now, this whole Mr. L persona was ruining his life. Worse, he might lose the only girl he ever loved (other than his mother). Daisy might never want to see him again.

Luigi cried silently the rest of the way home.

* * *

 _Headcanon: Luigi's eyes are blue. Mr. L's eyes are silver. Other than that, identical in every way (cause they share the same body)._

 _Headcanon: Mr. L curses more than Luigi. Sometimes, he just needs a fucking extra word to get the fucking point across._

 _Headcanon: Count Bleck's previous minions are in a group chat together. Mimi is the social tech queen, L thinks it's fun occasionally, Chunks is still figuring it out, and Nastasia rarely uses it. If Dimentio were still alive, he'd use it frequently, sometimes playing mind games with the others. Count Bleck wouldn't use it at all and tell Nastasia to get orders out to the others._

 _Headcanon: Luigi is bisexual, as is Mr. L. Though the latter is a bit more flirty, his last relationship with a guy didn't work out so well..._

 _Will Luigi get better? Will he and Daisy reconcile? What about his alter? Mario and Peach? Why am I asking cheesy questions? Find out in the next chapter!_

 _-Colorful and Free_


	3. When Red Came Raining Down

_Thanks again for the reviews!_

 _Trigger Warning: There is more self-harm and blood in this chapter. A lot more. Keep that in mind if you choose to keep reading._

* * *

As soon as he got through the driveway, he heard laughter. He recognized it as Mario and Peach. They must be on another cheesy movie date. Luigi knew that that wouldn't help and decided to go out the backdoor. It was closer to his room anyway. Luigi pulled a key from his pocket and opened the door. He was glad to decided to take that key with him, just in case Mario was doing anything in which he couldn't hear knocking or the door bell.

Luigi walked inside his house and shut the door behind him. He was numb as he took off his fancy suit and put on his normal clothes again. He ran to his bed and started tearing up again. Then a _PING!_ from his phone. Luigi groaned and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He glimpsed at it. _You home from your date yet, bro? Me and Peachy are starting to get worried._

The man in green frowned. He turned off his phone and threw it off the bed. He wiped his tears away. "Damn it..."

Luigi got out of bed and went to his bathroom mirror. He looked at his reflection. Red, puffy eyes. Purple bags underneath. Moist cheeks. It was pathetic. Then again, when had he been anything different? The plumber clenched his fists. "I hate you. You always ruin everything! You think you're so cool, but you're not! I want you to just leave me alone!"

Nothing. Of course. He wouldn't speak if Luigi was himself right now. Still, he wished there was some way they could talk to each other. Or would that make things worse? Probably the latter. Luigi went to his drawer and pulled out his razor. Then he pulled up his sleeve.

Scars. Scars everywhere up his arm. Some were old and fading. Others were fresh and still a bit bloody. A couple were from this morning. A couple more from this evening, before getting ready for the date.

Swipe. Broken skin. Blood. "I hate you! I hate you so much!" Swipe. Swipe. "I wish you never existed! I wish you would just go away!"

As he was making a fourth cut, he knocked something off the dresser with his elbow. _CLANG!_ "Luigi!? Is that you?" A soft, feminine voice asked.

Luigi wiped his tears and locked the bathroom door. He didn't want Mario or Peach to worry. There was no way for them to know unless he kept them as far away as possible, even if there was only a door in between them. Luigi kept hurting himself. He reveled in the pain. The knocks at the door startled him. "Luigi?" That was Mario's voice. "What are you doing in there?"

It hurt. He hated having to keep the truth from Mario. They were brothers and best friends. They had known each other since birth. Luigi knew that if he spoke, he would give himself away. If he didn't, Mario would get suspicious. There was no way to win, so Luigi just kept silent.

"Luigi, answer me!" He twisted the door knob, then knocked.

"I-I'm just using the toilet; calm down!"

"People don't lock the door when they're using the toilet."

Luigi shook his head. "I'm fine. Go back to watching movies."

Five new cuts existed on his arm. A couple were over old scars that were close to healing. One more should do it. Then he would wipe off the blood as best as he could and roll his sleeve back down.

"No, you're not fine. Wee-gee, please. I know you said not to call you that, but..."

"That wasn't me. That was him. He ruined everything, like he always does."

"Mr. L?"

"No, the tooth fairy! Yes, Mr. L! Heck, I almost got into a car wreck because of him when driving home!" Luigi was silent. He realized how rude that was. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Mario. I'm sorry for letting him hurt you and Peach back then. Heck, I'm even sorry for letting him hurt Bowser. And I'm sorry for letting myself be foolish enough to get hypnotized in the first place."

Mario was quiet for a few seconds. "Luigi...None of that was your fault. You didn't ask for this."

Luigi smiled sadly. "I know that better than anyone. I just really need someone right now. Anyone but him..."

"You have me. Open that door. We can watch movies with Peachy. I won't even ask about what you're doing. So long as you're not hurting anybody, it's none of my business."

 _I'm not hurting anybody important._ Luigi sighed. "Okay. Just let me finish this up." He closed his eyes and made one hard final swipe.

Big mistake.

Luigi felt a shot of pain, but it was worse than normal. He cried out a little. Then he glimpsed at the cut. His eyes widened. It was a deep gash. He would've been able to handle it if it was just that, but the cut was spurting blood. Something that never happened before.

He screamed. "Luigi!?" Mario cried. His mind rushed frantically. What should he do? Get Mario? Try to fix it himself? Bleed...To death?

No. No, he wanted to live. He didn't want to die. Luigi rushed to the door and unlocked it. Mario stood there. "Wee-gee, what's...?" He saw the blood. His eyes grew wide. He clasped his hands over his gaping mouth.

Luigi held onto his arm with his hand. Blood kept spurting out. Soon, his hand was covered in red. "M-Mario..." His voice shook, like it always did when he was afraid. "Help me!"

"L-Luigi...You..." Mario whispered. Then he shouted at the top of his lungs. "PEACH!"

Good idea. Peach knew a little about healing. A little. Key word was a little. Was he going to be okay? Was Luigi going to die because of this? Oh please, no. Please. He had to see Daisy again. Even if she hated him. He had to...

Peach rushed into the room. "What!? What's happen-?" She gasped when she saw Luigi's scars and the spurting blood. "Oh my goodness!"

Suddenly, the room started to spin a little. Luigi started to hobble. "Guys...?"

Peach ran across the bathroom and pulled a white cloth down from the end of the bathtub. She wrapped it around Luigi's arm and squeezed. Hard. "Hold on, Wee-gee...You're going to be okay..."

"I-I don't...Kn-know about that..." It was getting harder to keep his eyes open.

"Stay with me, Luigi," Mario said. His voice was frantic, though he tried to keep it steady. "Remind me. How old are you?"

"28 years old," He smiled a little. "And still doing pinky promises..." The spinning was getting faster.

"Good. Your favorite color?"

"I don't know..." He looked around the room. "Green?"

Mario nodded. "Yes, that's right. And who's your girlfriend?"

His smile grew. "Princess Daisy of...S-Sarasa-land...I hope she doesn't...Hate me."

With that, he toppled to the ground. The last thing he heard was both Mario and Peach screaming his name. "LUIGI!"

* * *

Two weeks later, Mario and Peach walked into the hospital with Daisy behind them. All of them were worried, but Daisy seemed to be most of all. Mario, who saw the blood himself, was almost numb to the whole thing. He lead the group to the receptionist. "We're here for Luigi Mario."

The receptionist, a purple toad with glasses, nodded. "Of course. Come this way."

The three of them followed the receptionist. Daisy grew even more worried when she saw that they were heading to the emergency room. She should've anticipated it, but she just couldn't imagine her boyfriend hurting himself like that. The toad opened the door. Peach and Daisy gasped.

Lying in bed was their own Luigi. He had a white blanket covering him and his green hat was sitting on a nearby stool. His arms were covered in scars that were reduced to scabs. His right arm had several bandages wrapped around it. He was in a deep sleep.

Daisy teared up. "Can I talk to him?" She whispered.

The toad nodded. "Yes, but I think it would be better if you all went one at a time. He will be overwhelmed when he wakes up, no doubt."

Mario stepped forward. "I'll go first, if you ladies don't mind."

Peach nodded. "Oh, no. Go ahead. You are his brother after all."

"I can go second, right?" Daisy asked.

The two of them looked at each other, then back at Daisy. They both nodded. "You are his girl," Mario muttered.

Even though he didn't mean bad intent, Daisy felt a wave of guilt. _I am his girl. I should have been able to stop it. Heck, if I never asked to go on a date with him, he wouldn't be here._ "You have an hour. That means twenty minutes for each of you," The receptionist told them. "Be aware of the time."

Luigi muttered a little bit. Daisy had to give it her all not to run over there and give him a crushing hug. Mario walked closer. He moved the hat aside and sat down on the stool. She left the room with her cousin and the receptionist. The purple toad closed the door. "Let me know if you need anything."

The girls nodded. The receptionist walked away, back to her duties. They heard Mario from inside. "WEE-GEE!~" Daisy smiled a little as she imagined Mario giving Luigi a crushing hug. Then she immediately heard a, "What were you thinking, little bro!?"

"Mario, keep your voice down." Luigi replied. That melted Daisy's heart and made her tear up again all at once. So, Luigi was going to be okay after all. She and Peach sat down in a couple of chairs next to the door. Daisy gave herself a hug.

Peach leaned over. She asked even though she knew the answer, "Are you alright?"

Daisy looked to the side. "I'm afraid. I can't help but feel this is my fault."

Peach held her hand. "You didn't know. Besides, even if you wouldn't have called off the date, it would most likely happen eventually. Right now, we just need to worry about being there for him."

The Sarasaland princess nodded. Peach asked if she wanted a hug from her, but Daisy shook her head. The two of them were quiet after that. Waiting for Mario to be done so they could speak with Luigi themselves.

Peach hesitated before asking her next question. "Let me ask you something. Did Luigi's eyes turn silver when you were on that date with him?"

Daisy gasped. "How did you know?"

Peach sighed. "So, it's true. It really was Mr. L..."

The desert princess had to hold back her laughter. "Mr...L?"

The blonde frowned and shook her head. "It's not a laughing matter, Daisy. Luigi has been struggling with this for a long time. He never told you about Count Bleck?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

So, the Mushroom princess talked to Daisy about the basics for the next five minutes. A few questions were answered (Mario and Luigi actually did do something about that purple gaping hole in the sky...), but some arose. (Why _did_ Luigi never tell her about this?) Then Peach was quiet to let Daisy ask questions. The brunette jumped to the first question on her mind. "Are you still married to Bowser?"

Peach blushed. She nodded and twisted the ring on her finger. "I mean, I don't like it. I don't think he loves me either. But...I think I have an idea why he's doing it. He has eight kids. Only one of them is biologically related to him, but he loves them all. He's had me spend time with them nearly every time he's kidnapped me. Bowser Jr. is especially fond of me...He calls me Mama."

"Aww..." Daisy cooed. Then she thought back to Luigi. "So, this Super Dimentio thing. Did that hurt him?"

Peach shook her head. "I don't think so. He may have hurt himself, but I don't think it's all because of that. I think it's mostly his alter."

Daisy tilted her head. "Alter?"

The pink princess nodded. "Luigi thinks he has multiple personality disorder now. And...We do too. I've tried to get him to go to the doctor, but he doesn't think he needs it. He fits the criteria though. Anyway, I read that your other personality is called an alter. In this case, Mr. L is Luigi's alter. He's a bit of an ass. I mean, he called me Miss Pink and Frilly once and told me to try not to get kidnapped."

Daisy chuckled. She had to admit that that was good. Peach glared at her cousin. Daisy stopped. Peach sighed. "But I guess it's a cockier part of Luigi that came through after brainwashing." She stopped before continuing. "The sad part is that he was back to himself for awhile, no personalities in him but his own. Then Dimentio used him as a puppet two years ago and brought Mr. L back. Since that magician disappeared, we have no way to get rid of him. Frankly, I don't know what this means for Luigi. I'm just trying to be a good friend to him."

Daisy held her hand. "And you're doing an awesome job."

Peach smiled. "Thanks. Mario can't be there for him all the time, as busy as he is. I hope he comes out okay."

Just then, Mario opened that door. "Alright, Daisy. Your turn."

Daisy nodded and rushed past Mario. Just as Peach asked Mario how it went, Daisy shut the door behind her. Luigi still sat in the bed. He was twiddling his thumbs. Then he looked up and smiled. "Hello, Princess."

She started tearing up. His voice sounded broken, but still kind. She sprinted towards him and gave him a hug. Luigi didn't seem to know what to do, but he hugged back. Then Daisy gave him a kiss on the lips. The kiss was just like his voice: sorrowful, but sweet. The princess leaned back so she could look at him. "Oh, Luigi! Thank goodness you're alright!"

He looked around the room. "What happened? All I remember is blood."

"Mario didn't tell you?"

"I didn't ask. I knew he didn't want to talk about it."

Daisy was about to answer, but her throat became dry. Her eyes moved down to his arm. His hospital gown had short sleeves, so she could see the scars on his arms. Oh, God. There were so many. There were also several bandages wrapped around the middle of his arm. He must have cut an artery, though Daisy was certain that that wasn't his intent. Luigi was lucky to be alive right now.

He noticed her gaze and looked down, ashamed. Daisy gave him a short explanation, as hard it was. Luigi nodded slowly. Something was off about him. Perhaps it was that he wasn't smiling now. He wasn't even asking Mario or Daisy for help. He was just sitting back and taking it. It was...So not like him.

Luigi sighed. "Oh, man. I'm an idiot. I'm so sorry."

Daisy shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I should've seen the signs. I should've gotten help sooner."

"Hey," He whispered. He grabbed her left hand. He started to pull the glove off. Daisy didn't object. "It was my fault. Don't _ever_ blame yourself for my stupid mistakes and my stupid existence."

She shook her head again. "Don't say that your life is stupid. You mean so much to so many people, including me. I love you, Luigi." He was quiet. He kept pulling off her glove. Soon, it was off. Daisy frowned. She expected to hear an 'I love you' back. At least _something_ other than silence. She started to tear up all over again. "Say something, you idiot!"

Luigi stared off to the side. Daisy held him and cried. She knew that he loved her. Otherwise, they wouldn't be dating in the first place. She just hated when he acted distant, especially if it was to protect her feelings.

Then something unexpected happened. She felt Luigi stroking her hair. That comforted her a little. "Don't worry, darling," Luigi told her. "He loves you too."

At first, Daisy felt relieved. She leaned back and wiped her eyes off. "Well, that's good to..." Then she stopped. She raised an eyebrow. _"He?"_

Luigi looked back to the side. The princess leaned in a little and looked closer. Her eyes grew wide. She let out a little gasp. She figured out what was off about him. Luigi's eyes were supposed to be a bright blue. Right now, they were silver. This wasn't Luigi.

* * *

 _Headcanon: Mario and Peach get together and have cheesy movie nights. I'd imagine they would watch shit like Sharknado and Big Ass Spider! (which is just as ridiculous). Other times, they'd watch the Notebook and stuff like that. Sometimes, they invite Luigi and Daisy, but not always._

 _Headcanon: You know that Game Theory video where he says that Bowser is an angry orphan who just wants a complete family, therefore adopting the koopalings and kidnapping Peach to be their Mama? I believe that theory._

 _Headcanon: Peach doesn't enjoy being kidnapped by Bowser, but she does like spending some time with the koopalings. (She even warms up to Bowser's soft side a little, but never forgets that she's his prisoner.)_

 _Headcanon: Mr. L is a great actor, as is Luigi. They both hate acting like someone else though..._

 _So, that was this chapter. I'm not going to ask cheesy questions because this was serious. Isn't it funny how we put our favorite character through the most pain?_

 _I'm going to enjoy the rest of my weekend, so the last chapter will be up on Sunday. If you like listening to music and imaging epic music videos, I feel that Shatter Me by Lindsay Stirling fits Luigi in this fic. For Mr. L, I would go with Disturbia by Rihanna or Can't be Tamed by Miley Cyrus. Until next time! :)_

 _-Colorful and Free_


	4. A Story from the Other Half

_Apparently, my sister finds it weird that I write Mario fanfiction now. She's fine with Hetalia (personified countries), Frozen (an ice princess/queen), and Five Nights at Freddy's (haunted animatronics who come and kill you in the night), but this is where she draws the line? Ugh._

 _Also, this chapter was a little bit inspired by Stand by You by Rachel Plattern. If you want, look online for a Mr. L theme remix and play that. It's pretty awesome. (It should have a cover of him with the battle from the game going on in the background.)  
_

* * *

Mr. L sighed. "Well, shit. I take it you've figured out that I'm not Luigi right now?" Daisy didn't say anything. She just bit her lip and nodded quickly. He sighed again, even louder this time. "Fuck. That was supposed to be my little secret. Oh well. Red didn't figure it out, so congrats. You get L-points."

Daisy was hardly even listening. Her cheeks were burning now. She allowed her fingers to trace her lips. She kissed Mr. L instead of Luigi. It was like kissing another man. But Luigi wouldn't see it that way...Would he?

He seemed to have read her mind. "Relax, you aren't cheating. Luigi will understand. I mean, we share the same body. I can't say the same if you do it again some other time and know it's me."

When Daisy found her voice, the only thing she could think of was, "...You again."

He smiled. "You know who I am now, don't you?"

Daisy nodded. "You're Luigi's alter, Mr. L..."

Mr. L nodded. "Yep. Who told you? Was it Mr. Jumps-a-lot? Or Princess Pink?"

She frowned. "My cousin Peach told me just now. You know, she's not as weak as you might think."

He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Yeah, yeah. Though I don't like being thought of as just an alter. I prefer to call myself either Mr. L or the Green Thunder. You can just call me L if it makes it easier."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why the Green Thunder?"

"Because I wear green." He laughed. "Kidding. Because..." His eyes grew distant. "That's the first thing I ever saw. All it took were a couple of zaps to change Luigi...Into me."

"A couple of zaps?"

Mr. L blinked a few times. "She didn't tell you about Nastasia?"

Daisy shook her head. "No, she did. I just...Didn't know that was how it worked. Did it hurt?"

He shrugged. "I barely remember. It's been so long. I imagine it does."

The princess thought for a moment. Then she put her hand on his. He looked up at her, curious. He raised an eyebrow as if to say, _"What's on your mind?"_

"I want to hear your side of things."

She expected him to smirk and humor her. Instead, he grew bitter. "HA! Right. And you also want to believe that the sun revolves around the Earth. Come on. Nobody here cares about how I feel, and that includes you."

She frowned. "You can't seriously believe that. I mean, you're part of Luigi."

"Exactly. It's always Wee-gee this, Wee-gee that with _everyone!_ Nobody wants to get to know me. I'm far better than that coward, but what does it matter? I'm not trying to say that I'm jealous of him or anything, which I'm not. I just want someone to maybe say, 'Hey, Mr. L! We understand that you're part of Luigi, but there's more to you than that! We care about you, we acknowledge you, we _validate_ you!"

"But no! Whenever I wake up and one of them happens to be around, they immediately ask about him. It's always the same shit. That's why I'm thinking about moving back with Count Bleck's old minions, but..." He sighed and muttered under his breath, "I'm still not sure yet."

The princess was silent. When she first met Mr. L at the restaurant, he seemed like one of those playboys who think they're smooth but actually make girls want to punch them in the face. She was shocked to learn that he had problems of his own. "I'm sorry that I asked about Luigi at Queens. I didn't know about you. But...Now I do. And I want to acknowledge you and validate you. Just give me a chance to do so."

Mr. L was quiet. Daisy wasn't sure if he would tell her his story at all, but he sighed. "Okay, but part of this is based off of some stuff that Mario told me, so it might not be completely accurate." He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"So, it started with Luigi, big surprise, waking up at Castle Bleck after some crazy shit. He met up with a couple of goombas who made him think he was a hot shot or whatever and they all agreed to escape together. If I remember right, they actually made it close to the exit. But then Nastasia found them. She brainwashed one goomba and then the other was a wuss and joined the cause, no brainwashing needed. Then they gained up on Luigi."

"The enemies gathered around him and held him up while Nastasia went to work on him. She zapped him once and he felt a shift, but she wasn't done with him yet. She asked him if he swore his loyalty to the count. He said no. She did it again. I watched his memories disappear. I heard thunder in my head. I saw green lighting. And suddenly I was no one. No name, no memories. Just a wandering soul, a blank slate if you will. Puddy in their hands."

Daisy blinked. She couldn't imagine how that must feel. Through her darkest times, at least she had the comfort that she was a princess of a beautiful kingdom and she had people who loved her. What was it like to not remember anyone or anything, not even your own name?

Mr. L laughed a little. "I remember this part. Nastasia sensed that it was over and told them to put me down. She asked for my name, and all I could say was... _L. Thunder._ Everyone laughed, but she shushed them and welcomed me to the team. She called me Mr. L. Believe it or not, I didn't come up with that. Nastasia did."

"She told me I was a new member of the team who had a bad case of amnesia. I had nothing to go off of, so I believed her. I spent the next month making a new identity for myself. I made friends with the team and even met the Count. He was a nice man when he wasn't talking about ending the world. He even told me a little bit about his girl, Timpani, who he thought was dead. I became fascinated with mechanics and built Brobot. Even though he was made of metal, I considered him my brother. We had a spiritual bond, you know. I was sure he would crush the hero of the Light Prognosticus...Who was actually my twin brother, haha..."

"And what did you think of him? Mario, I mean," Daisy asked.

"I thought he was a weirdo. Mostly silent, prefers red over green, _and_ travels with a damsel and a giant koopa? But...I had the strange sense that I had seen him before. And suddenly, part of me wanted to protect him. I tried to brush that part away and just fight, but I couldn't. I let him go. Everyone was mad at me, but I assured them that I would do better next time. The second time, I tried harder. I tried to convince myself that I was doing the right thing. But I failed. I told Dimentio that I couldn't face the Count. And so...He fucking killed me."

Now she was thrown off. "What?"

"Yep. He said that I was right and ended my life. It was all part of some plan or something, but I was gone for awhile. All that was left was Luigi. The next time I woke up, I was in Castle Bleck again. Except...Dimentio forced me awake. I shouted my name and basically said that I would tend to Dimentio's every need. It didn't feel right at all. I didn't feel in control. I felt like a puppet at Dimentio's disposal, but I was weak, so I couldn't do anything about it."

"For a split second though...I saw things through Luigi's eyes. I saw him in a jade room, his mindscape. He was scared. So _fucking_ scared. Right then, I had the sense that I wasn't my own person and just wanted to be whoever I really was again. But Dimentio's magic was keeping us apart. Then my mind fused with Luigi, Dimentio's dark magic, and the chaos heart, the thing that would supposedly end the world. I became Super Dimentio. Both Luigi and I felt the exact same way. He was wondering who Mr. L was; I was wondering who Luigi was. We never felt more helpless in our life. I'm just glad Mario saved us. I don't want to know what would happen if he didn't."

* * *

Daisy was quiet. She had a lot to take in. Finally she asked, "Are you sure Super Dimentio didn't hurt you two?"

He shook his head. "No. I mean, it was painful and took a lot out of us at the time, but not much now. It did give us nightmares. That was what started the whole..." He peered down at his arm. "You know..."

Daisy clenched her fists. Even though Dimentio was gone now, she wanted to find him and beat the crap out of him for doing this to her boyfriend. But she knew he didn't need that. Not Mr. L nor Luigi. She had to stay calm. After taking a deep breath, she asked, "How long have you known that you weren't your own person?"

He paused to think. "A couple years, which is longer than I've been alive. Mario had to tell me. I didn't believe him at first, of course. Then he showed me all of these memories that Luigi kept. My outfit for missions was stuffed in with everything else. I went to Nastasia right after. I didn't want to live my life as just an extension to someone I'd never met. She couldn't help me though."

He sighed. "It's not that I like it, but it makes a lot of sense. Back at Castle Bleck, I would have dreams about being someone more...Innocent. And like I said, I knew I saw Mario and the gang somewhere before. I just didn't know where."

 _So, Luigi really is in there, somewhere._ Daisy thought about her next question carefully. She didn't want to offend him after what he just told her, so she held back a little. "So, Count Bleck and Tippi. Are they still alive? Do you know where they are?"

Mr. L thought for a moment. "Lord Blumiere and his lady Timpani live at Castle Bleck now. Very much alive." Daisy let out a sigh of relief. She had never met these people, but still cared for them. Their story was enough. Mr. L smiled at that. "Though no one knows where they go half the time and they never tell us. Timpani always says, 'It's our secret.' She has trouble returning to her human form too. It's as hard for her to change back as it is for me to be Luigi. So, she's mostly a pixel still, though when I do get to see her as she once was...It's amazing. She's a really pretty lady."

Daisy smiled at that. Good for them. Then she asked her next question. "Can Luigi see and hear everything right now?"

"Nope. At least that I know of. If he does, then he'll forget about it when he wakes up. He mostly forgets being me."

"Why didn't he ever tell me about you?"

Mr. L shrugged. "I guess he didn't want you to be afraid of him or think he's broken, which he's not." He paused to think. "Well...He is a little, but you know. I'm not _that_ different from him, am I?"

"Well...You're more confident. A bit cocky and arrogant too. And more outspoken. But...I know that you're still Luigi deep down. Besides, none of this was your fault. I can't hold it against either of you."

"So, basically, I got your stamp of approval. Good to know."

Daisy frowned. "No, that's not what I...!" She shook her head. "Never mind." The princess hesitated before asking her next question. "Do _you_ love me?"

Mr. L had to think hard on that one. Daisy wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a good sign. He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really think I can truly love anyone, nor I do have the desire. Luigi thinks otherwise, obviously. And I'll admit that you're kind of hot." He looked away again. "And I can act like him, if it makes everyone less worried..."

Daisy held onto his hand. He was a great actor, but she didn't want to see him pretending to be someone he wasn't. She had gone through that before. It hurt like hell. "Lui-I mean, L..."

Mr. L smiled at her. "Hey, I'm not a complete asshole." She started to tear up a little. She buried her face in his lap. "Hey. Don't cry. You're gonna get your messy girl crap all over my hospital clothes."

"I'm sorry. If I had just listened to you at the restaurant, then you'd both be okay..."

He shook his head. "We are okay. And I'm the one who should be apologizing, as hard as that is for me to say. I just sort of jumped into it, without any explanation of who I was or where I came from or any of that."

Daisy was silent. "Can I have another kiss?" Mr. L was about to say no, but she continued. "Just one more? I need to feel Luigi with me now..."

Mr. L sighed, then nodded. "Okay, fine. Just one more."

The princess looked up at him. She sniffled a bit. His silver eyes were a bit dull, but she could see the light in them. Was that Luigi? Or was it a light all his own? She closed her eyes and puckered her lips, just like the night two weeks ago. This time, there were no interruptions. He leaned forward and kissed her.

The kiss wasn't like anything she and Luigi had shared. It was strong, but not hard or forceful. It was warm, but not burning hot. He didn't put his tongue in for dominance like before; he knew Daisy wouldn't like that. Even though he said that he had no desire to love, she felt the slightest bit of passion in there.

Daisy didn't want the kiss to end, but it did. She let go and their faces backed away. Mr. L was blushing a little. She laughed and wiped her face off. When she looked at her finger, there was wet mascara all over. She didn't care. "You've gotten better at kissing."

Mr. L grinned. "And you've gotten better at not taking it like a pansy." Daisy playfully punched him. She made sure not to make it hurt. Then silence. He stared at his scars. "Just to be safe, when I turn back into my, um...Real self...Don't let me know about that. I'm not sure how I'll take it."

Daisy nodded. She was a bit surprised. He acknowledged that Luigi was his true self and he was the alter. Had he given this fact any mind before? She swallowed hard before continuing. "Okay, but you have to promise me something," She whispered.

"And what's that?"

Black tear marks slid down her cheeks. "Promise that you'll stop hurting yourself. Stop Luigi. Do what you must. I can't bare to see him in pain like this."

Mr. L held her uncovered hand. "I promise."

She forced a smile. The princess held out her pinky with that same hand. "Pinky promise?"

Now he was confused. "Huh?"

She laughed. "Like this!" She grabbed the pinky of his right hand and held it up a little. Then she wrapped her pinky around his. The two let go. "There, now you can't break it or else I'll know and come whip your ass!"

Now it was his turn to laugh. He sounded just like Luigi, cheerful and a bit nasally, but still good. "It's a deal then, my lady."

Daisy had a small smile on her face. She turned and walked away.

The door shut. Mr. L was alone. He didn't know how much time he had left, but he had to make it count. He peered to the small desk beside him. He opened a drawer and felt inside. At first, he felt nothing but tiny things like paper clips, bits of paper, and dead pens. Then he pulled out something important. A notebook. The Green Thunder searched for a pen that worked frantically.

After three dead pens, he found one good one. He scribbled on it and darkness came on the back of the paper. He let out a sigh of relief and began to write a message to his other self:

 _Luigi,_

 _I know what you're thinking. Blame me. Newsflash: I had nothing to do with this. You had a choice all along. You know this deep down. If you didn't, I wouldn't be telling you this._

 _Anyway, I spoke to your brother as you. He didn't seem to know a thing. He said that you could have died and you were crazy for even trying to do this. He told you to stop and that he loves you._

 _Then I spoke to your girl Daisy. I slipped up and she figured out that I wasn't you. I told her who I was, where I came from, everything. She doesn't mind._ _The point is that she's hurting too. I know that you care for her. As for me, I don't know. I told her that I don't love her, but part of me wants to. Is that part you? Oh well. Doesn't matter. She's yours._

 _You've got to stop this. At least try. If not for me-yourself-or even your brother, then do it for her. She loves you. She told me herself. Plus, we made a pinky promise..._

Then someone opened the door. Mr. L wrote a little more. _Just try, okay? L._ Then, he closed the notebook and put it in the drawer. A girl with long blonde hair and a pink dress walked in. He tried to remember her name. Peach. He glanced up at the gold crown on her head. Princess Peach.

 _Hey there, gorgeous. Don't you know that a chaos wasteland is no place for a stunner like you?_

Then he smiled weakly, just as he had done for Daisy. "Hello, Princess."

* * *

 _Headcanon: Mario is silent in serious situations, but can obviously speak if he wants to. (He may have been selectively mute in the games for some reason. Idk.)_

 _Headcanon: Count Bleck and Tippi are still alive, but every once in awhile, go to their special place and relive their best moments while also making up for lost time._

 _Headcanon: Tippi has trouble with her human form. It's up to you what she really looks like, but I imagine a pretty blonde girl in a white dress. After being a pixel, she started to like neon rainbow colors more and also wears more flashy colors now._

 _Headcanon: I've read some other fanfics involving Mr. L._ _A lot of people see him as some pervert who would sneak peeks at a girl when she's changing or put his hand up her skirt. And me? Uh...No._ _He may be more flirty, but he knows his limits and has a gut feeling on how Luigi feels about any girl (or guy) he meets._

 _Headcanon: Mr. L was more flirtatious with Peach in the game because he didn't know about Luigi at the time and thought she was cute. With Daisy in this fanfic, that feeling was a lot stronger. Plus, I think he can act like a gentleman if he cares enough. (Also, I assumed that Peach would be the main girl in the second battle with him.)_

 _Anyway, if the message wasn't clear, DON'T cut yourself to relieve stress or let out the pain. There are better ways, such as talking with someone and making pinky promises not to with a cute brunette that you may or may not like. Also, I had an urge to write about the complex relationship Luigi has with his inner self. And I wasn't going to do this initially, but since you guys like this so much, I'm going to write a happy ending epilogue. Look out for it in a few days!_

 _-Colorful and Free_


	5. Return to Castle Bleck

_So, I know I said that the epilogue would be coming today. Well...I had a small idea to complete the story that turned into a whole chapter, meaning that this will be a new addition. Plus, it was so long that I had to split it into two chapters, so...This chapter and the next chapter, then the epilogue. Bear with me. We've come this far._

 _Also, I do believe that the songs that I chose for Mr. L in the author's notes from the last chapter fit him, but nowhere near as much as Believer by Imagine Dragons and Thunder, also by Imagine Dragons. Control and Hold Me Down by Halsey reminds me of both sides of Luigi, specifically what happened to him in Super Paper Mario._

 _Warning: Long author's note at the end._

* * *

After being sent out of the hospital, Luigi finally went to a doctor for his issues. He spent a few months going in and out of the office to talk about what was happening. Finally, he got the official diagnosis. Multiple personality disorder alright. The doctor told him that he was lucky there were only two people inside him. Others had it much worse, some even having as many as 20. "It's a rare disorder though. I believe you're the only one in the Mushroom Kingdom who's seen me for this. You should speak to a therapist about these issues."

Peach offered to pay for his treatment, but Luigi turned her down. "I've got a better idea. Something that the Green Thunder might like a little more."

That week, Luigi used the Return Pipe they kept in the closet to return to Flipside. There, he arrived on the main floor with all the rainbow colored doors. He smiled. There were so many memories here, even if he was only around for a little while. He thought for a moment. "Should I visit Merlon?"

After thinking about it for a few seconds, he shook his head. "Maybe I'll come back and stop by later. Right now, I have more important things to do."

Luigi used the elevator to go down to the second floor of Flipside. Then he used the blue pipe to the far right to teleport to the identical town of Flopside. "Two sides to everything," Luigi whispered. "Just like me."

The man in green went up the elevator on the Flopside tower. Then he through the large black door. And suddenly, he was standing in front of Castle Bleck.

Luigi had only stopped by once. It was when Mario was saving Peach. Daisy was busy that day. He was so intimidated and still hadn't gotten control of his alter. In fact, out of the few days or so that he was there, Mr. L had only shown up for a few hours. He was there just long enough to meet Timpani, talk with the others for a bit, then go back to sleep. ("He chooses _now_ of all times to not show up," Luigi muttered under his breath.) It was so awkward and embarrassing that the man in green didn't see any reason to come back...Until now.

When he knocked on the door, a tall, muscular man answered. Luigi blinked a few times. He gulped. "H-Hello, good sir. May I speak to Miss Nastasia? It's very-"

"L!" The man cried. He picked Luigi up and squeezed him in his arms. "It's been dunky since a last saw ye! I don't think I've seen ya in person in years! How ya doin'? Is the other side of ya being a bother? What's-iz-face?" He spoke with a thick Scottish accent.

"Um...About that," Luigi spoke up. "I'm...Kind of the other side of him..."

The Scotsman froze. "Oh." He put Luigi down. "Sorry. Whit's yer name?"

Luigi smiled nervously. "Luigi Mario. Yours?"

"O'Chunks, at your service. Say, haven't I seen you before?"

Luigi nodded. "Yes, but it was a long time ago. A year, at least. Anyway, I'd like to see Nastasia. It's important."

So, he was lead to the same woman who hypnotized him two years ago. She hadn't changed much. The only real difference was that her hair was in a messy ponytail now. She seemed a bit taller as well. She wore a plain black dress and short white socks. Her glasses were tilted and she held a cup of coffee in her hand. "Yes? What do you want?" Her voice was still as monotone as ever.

Luigi blinked a few times. He thought she would be a little more friendly with him, like O'Chunks was. "Nastasia? You don't recognize me?" She was silent. He narrowed his eyes. "You hypnotized me and made me a member of the Bleck army?"

She rolled her eyes and stirred her coffee a bit. "I've hypnotized _a lot_ of people."

Luigi was about to speak when his mind slowed down. He heard white noise in his head. Then a strong feeling overtook him. He felt like a record being forcefully pulled out, only for another one to be put in his place. He lowered his head.

Then it shot back up. "Oh, come on, Nastasia. I know I'm in a lame outfit, but how can you not recognize the Green Thunder!?"

A flicker of recognition. "I see you're as confident as ever, Mr. L. I'll admit that I didn't think you would still have issues with this whole...Two people in one body thing. You know that was never my intent, right?"

He nodded. "Of course. It was that purple asshole."

O'Chunks, who was standing close by, nodded. "Amen to that!"

Mr. L smiled a bit, but shook his head. "But that's not why I'm here. I need your help with something. Have you ever played therapist?"

She nodded slowly. "To a mourning Blumiere several years ago, a little after he became Count Bleck. I wasn't that great though."

"Well, I need you to do it again."

Nastasia raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Please. I need your help with this. I know we haven't spoken in a long time, but I know you can do it."

She didn't look impressed. "Right. Wouldn't it be a better idea to...I don't know...Get a professional to help you?"

Mr. L sighed. "Yes. Peach even offered to pay for it, but...I don't want that. I want this. You got me into this, so you can get me out. And if you can't shove Luigi and me back into one person, at least let him control it."

Nastasia was quiet. "Wow. That's a lot to take in." She took a sip of her coffee. She had a distant look in her eyes. "Give me a moment to think about it. Until then, why don't you catch up with the others? I'm sure they'd all be dying to see you again."

"Good idea, girlie. By the way, you look really pretty today."

Nastasia gave one of her rare smiles. "Flattery will get you nowhere, L." The assistant began to stir her coffee again. "...But don't let that stop you."

He smirked and left her alone to collect her thoughts. O'Chunks followed him. "So, where we goin', lad?"

The green thunder thought about it for a bit. "How about the common room? You know, where we used to have meetings and such. I think that'd be a good place."

O'Chunks nodded and lead the way. The two walked down the hall together. For a few seconds, there was a calm silence. But that didn't last long. O'Chunks was smiling at Mr. L cheekily. The latter turned, a bit irritated. "What?"

"Got the hots for Nastasia, do ya, lad? Better be careful. She still hasn't gotten over the count."

Mr. L laughed. "Yeah, right. The only girl I want is..." He stopped himself. He almost said her name. He turned away. "Never mind."

O'Chunks stopped. "You fancy someone? Who is it?"

He blushed a little and looked to the side. "...Princess Daisy of Sarasaland..."

O'Chunks smiled and patted him on the back. "Atta boy! My old chum...In love with a _princess_! Gotta be careful there too. I hear she's feisty. A bit boyish. And she is a princess. Royal guards at her side every second."

Mr. L shook his head. "Not every second. You see...I actually know her. She's Luigi's girlfriend."

O'Chunks' mouth fell wide open. After a moment of silence, he said, "You've got to be joking! That wee scunner...Dating the princess o' Sarasaland!?"

He nodded. "I know, hard to believe. But you want to know the worst part? Luigi sees it as cheating if _she_ makes a move on _me_."

"That's crazy! You're one and the same, aren't ya?"

The green thunder shrugged. "At this point, I don't really know."

After a few minutes or so, they found the common room. Mr. L remembered standing on his own podium years ago, proudly claiming that he would defeat the hero. How he missed being a member of the gang. "Go on," O'Chunks whispered. "I'm right behind ya, lad."

Mr. L smiled. He forgot what great friends he had. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and opened the door. As soon as he saw who was standing on the other side, his heart sped up a little.

Mimi was talking with the Count. He remembered how she was his best girl friend during his time there, always hanging out with him and giving him advice, even if it was terrible at times. In fact, he had the inspiration to build Brobot right in her room. ("I know! What if you make a big metal machine and beat the living daylight of that hero!?)

And the Count. Mr. L could tell just by looking at him that he was so much happier than before. The intimidation and fear that always came with seeing him was gone. Instead, it was filled with joy and peace.

Mr. L bit his lip and stepped back a little. He hadn't seen these people in years. Would they remember him? Accept him? Would they be mad that he hadn't kept in better touch? Or worse. Would they be upset that he left them to be someone else? To be...Luigi?

He was about to turn around and leave when the Count stopped paying attention to Mimi. He looked past her and smiled. Confused, the spider girl turned around. Her eyes widened. That was when all hell broke loose.

"MR. L!" Mimi laughed and ran over to him. She knocked him down in one massive hug. "Oh my gosh! It's been years! That's like, forever! You look..." She pulled back so she could look at him. She raised an eyebrow. "Kind of dorky, but..." She shook her head. "That doesn't matter! How are you!?"

Her warm attitude was contagious. He started smiling himself. "I've been doing fine. What about you? You look so cute."

Today, she was wearing a red polka dot dress. Mimi grinned and stood. She gave him a hand and helped him up. She swayed a little bit from side to side. "Golly! Thanks! I got this dress just the other day. It was on sale."

O'Chunks laughed at them. He leaned over and whispered, "She's up to high doh, isn't she?"

Mr. L smiled nervously. He had no idea what his friend meant by that, but he nodded anyway. "Um...Yep."

They hadn't noticed the Count walking up to them until he was right next to Mimi. "Thank you for coming, Mr. L. And such good timing too. Timpani and I just got back from our trip."

Mimi giggled and leaned over to whisper into his ear. "They have, like, ten honeymoons every year. Such lovebirds."

"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that, Mimi," Count Bleck said. "Though she is right; it has been a long time since we've seen you last. Is everything going well?"

Mr. L frowned. "Well, not exactly."

O'Chunks and Mimi had concerned looks on their faces. Count Bleck raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

So, he told them what had been going on for the past two years. He told them about Princess Daisy and their unsuccessful date. He told them about how Luigi cut an artery and almost got them both killed. He told them about his multiple personality disorder and how he came for help. Count Bleck was silent during this explanation. Finally, he nodded. "I see...So, Luigi is giving you trouble."

Mr. L laughed nervously. "Actually, it's more like _I'm_ giving _him_ trouble." He was silent. "I know they all want Luigi, but I can't be him all the time. I was wondering if Nastasia could help me fuse back into him somehow."

Mimi's eyes widened. "You mean...You wouldn't be Mr. L anymore? Just Luigi?"

He smiled sadly and nodded. "I'm afraid so."

O'Chunks and Mimi gasped. The latter shook her head. "No! You're part of the team! I know we haven't spoken in a long time and you don't exactly live here anymore, but we love you!"

The Scotsman nodded. "She's right, lad. Everyone cares for ye an awful lot, even Nastasia. We would hate to see ya leave."

Count Bleck shook his head. "Now, now. It's his decision. Of course, we will always have our dear Mr. L in our hearts, but..." He paused. "Actually...Do you think I could speak with the man in green?"

"Luigi? Um...Sure. I still haven't gotten the hang of switching voluntarily..."

"That's alright. Just try your best."

Mr. L nodded and took a deep breath. Then he lowered his head slowly and went limp. Several seconds went by. Nothing happened.

"Is he dead?" Mimi asked.

The Count laughed a little and shook his head. "No, Mimi. Just give him a second."

As if on cue, the man in green blinked a few times. He raised his head slowly. This time, his eyes were back to blue. Luigi looked among the three of them. Then he gulped and waved. "Um...Hi there!"

Mimi smiled. "Hiya!"

O'Chunks nodded. "Hello again, lad."

Luigi tried to smile at them, but all he could think was, _It's that guy who was at the door again. And the spider girl. She_ _almost got Peach killed!_ He glanced at Count Bleck. _And she's not even the worst of it._

Count Bleck extended his hand. "Count Bleck, or Blumiere if you prefer. It's a pleasure, Luigi."

Luigi relaxed a little and shook his hand. Maybe it would be easier to think of him as a different man than the one who tried to end all worlds. "The pleasure's all mine. You sure have a nice castle."

He smiled a little. "Thank you. I've lived here a long time, though my wife is the one who really makes it feel like home." He thought for a moment. "Would you like to see her?"

Luigi smiled. "Sure! I don't think I've seen her since your wedding."

Count Bleck smiled a little and lead Luigi out of the room. They went past intricate hallways that Luigi had forgotten all about. "It's much easier to flip through dimensions," Count Bleck explained. "But I don't think you've ever learned that skill, have you?"

Luigi shook his head. "Nope. My brother has though. Do the others know how to do it?"

"The majority of us know how. I believe you and O'Chunks are the only ones who can't, but that's alright. It's a rare skill that you're either born with or you must gain through trials and tribulations. Being born into the Tribe of Darkness, I am the former."

The younger Mario brother nodded, though in reality, he wasn't sure what the count was trying to say. Finally, they arrived at a room that wasn't like any of the others. It was...Colorful. The walls were sky blue with yellow tiles over the stove. There was a tall fridge on one end of the kitchen and counters and drawers on the other. There was also a small round table with a few chairs. However, what stood out the most to Luigi wasn't furniture. It was a girl.

A young blonde with her hair in a ponytail was cooking something at the stove. She was wearing a red dress and humming to herself.

"Timpani, dear. There's someone here who would like to see you," Count Bleck said.

She turned around. She had warm gray eyes and soft features. Luigi's eyes widened a little. His heart would always belong to Princess Daisy, but he had to admit that this woman was really beautiful. Her eyes widened and she gasped. When she spoke, he recognized that sweet voice. "Luigi..."

He smiled a little. "Hey, Tippi. Long time no see."

A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting at the kitchen table. Count Bleck had a cup of tea while Luigi had a mug filled with coffee and sugar. Timpani sat down with them, setting her own cup of tea on the table. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"

Luigi smiled. She made him feel right at home. "Fine, more or less."

Count Bleck frowned. "Mr. L told me that they've been having problems. Plus, he's been hurting himself."

Luigi's eyes widened. He turned. "Count!"

"If you're going to stay here, then she has a right to know."

"Yeah, but-"

Timpani lowered her voice. Her tone grew more serious. "You've been hurting yourself?"

He looked to the side. "Uh...Yeah. I almost...um..." He shook his head. "Never mind."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I almost...Uh..." Luigi lowered his voice. "I almost killed myself..."

Timpani was quiet. Oh no. What if she was taking it the wrong way?

Luigi shook his head. "But I didn't mean to! The doctors said I severed an artery." Luigi laughed nervously. "It's a good thing that Mario and I live near a hospital. Anyway, I talked with my girlfriend about it, or rather, Mr. L did. He agreed that I'd never hurt myself again. I guess it's kind of confusing that way, but..."

"Can I see them?"

"Um...Sure."

Luigi pulled his sleeve. Timpani grabbed his arm and examined them. She had a distant look in her eyes. "It's not worth it, Luigi. Trust me. I know."

His eyes widened. "You do?"

She nodded. "You see, Blumiere and I had plans to get married once, but his father didn't approve of us together. One day, while I was taking a walk through my village, he kidnapped me. He wiped my memory clean and placed a curse on me so that I would wander through dimensions forever. You have no idea how frustrating it was. One second, I would find somewhere nice to stay. The next, I'd land somewhere dangerous, a different dimension entirely."

"I started to feel hopeless. I would have thoughts of ending it all, just so I would be free from that awful curse. But something told me that I had to hold on. I had the sense that..." She turned to the Count. "That someone was waiting for me."

He put his hand on her knee. "It's alright."

Timpani smiled a little. She stared into her tea cup. "So...I did what I felt was the next best thing. I hurt myself. Over and over. Razors, safety pins, pen caps, tips of rocks. Anything I could find."

"By the time I got to Flipside, I was bleeding and exhausted. I was lucky Merlon found me. He told me that he knew a way to ground me in one dimension and also save me from my own wounds. And that was turning me into a pixel. I was tired of living that way, so I agreed to it. I guess what I'm trying to say is..."

Suddenly, Timpani began to glow. She was surrounded by bright light. A blinding flash. Luigi covered his eyes. When he moved his hand away, Timpani was a rainbow butterfly pixel. She was Tippi again.

"It gets better, even if you can't see it now," She said. "Just look at me. Back then, I was almost ready to give up. Now, I'm married to the man of my dreams. I have good friends. I even live in a castle. And it can get better for you too. You just have to believe it will and fight for it every day. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Luigi looked at Count Bleck. He was sipping tea and smiling at his wife. He still looked at her so lovingly, even though she was a pixel. He hoped that Daisy could look at him like that one day, even if he was Mr. L. He nodded, tears in his eyes. "Yes. I understand."

* * *

 _Scottish phrases from O'Chunks and their meaning:_

 _It's been dunky since a last saw ye!= It's been a long time!_

 _Whit's yer name?= What's your name?_

 _Wee scunner=Little whiner (He doesn't really think Luigi is all that bad; he just wants Mr. L to have Daisy instead.)_

 _She's up to high doh...= She's all riled up..._

* * *

 _Headcanon: Count Bleck/Blumiere and his minions are all very close, almost like family. His failed attempt to end the world and return to sanity made them even closer._

 _Headcanon: Mr. L calls Nastasia "girlie." She doesn't care for the nickname, but doesn't hate it either._

 _Headcanon: Mr. L and Mimi were close friends. He had a similar relationship with O'Chunks as well. He used to have something like that with Dimentio before he betrayed him._

 _Headcanon: Timpani had issues with self-harm while traveling through dimensions. She was thinking about committing suicide, but then got to Flipside and met Merlon._

 _Also, guess what? I was writing down the rough draft of the last scene on a piece of paper at school yesterday. Someone saw it and word got to the counselor that I was thinking about hurting myself. Like for real. No joke. I told him that it was just a story I made up and read him some lines from it. (Without saying any names of course.) Crazy. Then again, it could've been the article I looked up as reference for Timpani's line: "_ _So, I would hurt myself. Razors, safety pins, pen caps, tips of rocks. Anything I could find."_

 _Next time: Daisy comes to visit! What will she think of the team? What about seeing her boyfriend in a (sexy) "bandit" outfit? Later, Nastasia brings a certain alter into his mindscape. From there, he can fuse with his main counterpart, back into one person. But will he do it?_

 _-Colorful and Free_


	6. Confessions

_You know how I said that after this chapter, there would be an epilogue? Well, I lied. There's this chapter, the next chapter, and THEN the epilogue. I thought I could wrap this up quickly, but it turns out that it's taking awhile. Sorry. Also, if you hadn't noticed, I changed the title of Chapter 4 to 'A Story from the Other Half' because 'A Story from the Other Side' sounds like it's a story being told by a dead person._

 _Oh, and by the way, this chapter is gonna have hints of Mr. L x Mimi in it. I just think it's kind of cute. Don't worry though. This fanfic is still very much LuigixDaisyxMr. L._

 _Also, this chapter is twice as long as normal. Think of it as a gift for waiting this long._

* * *

"Are you sure it's in here, Mimi?"

"I know it is! I just gotta keep looking!"

The man in green crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. It had been a week since Luigi came here. Since then, Mr. L spent his time catching up with his friends. All of his memories of being with them came rushing back and soon it felt as though he had never left. He even got Nastasia to agree to help him.

Mr. L had been spending the afternoon with Mimi when she said that she was keeping something cool in her closet. The only problem? It was taking her forever to find. "I don't know," Mr. L muttered, looking around. "I can't see why anybody would keep something cool in _here._ "

Mimi had a huge walk-in closet. The walls were lime green and the entrance to the closet had pink curtains along with white polka dots. She had dresses to the left, casual wear to the right, and a whole section dedicated to shoes in the back. There were also some empty shelves on top of the shoe section. Mimi stuck her tongue out, then looked up at the shelves. "I guess there's one last place to look."

The spider used a ladder to climb to the top. She grabbed a box and searched through it. Then she frowned and put it back. After searching through a couple more boxes, Mimi broke into a huge grin. "Found it!"

"Great!" Then he paused. "...What is it?"

Mimi turned to him with a serious look on her face. "Turn around."

Mr. L furrowed his brows. "What? Why?"

"Just do it!"

He sighed and turned. Mimi climbed down the ladder and set the box on the floor. She opened it and pulled out what she was looking for. It cast a shadow, so Mr. L could see what it was. It was a piece of clothing. Mimi was currently putting it on a hanger. He remembered her saying that she got a dress on sale. Did she get something for him as well?

"Okay! You can look now!"

The Green Thunder turned. His eyes widened. Mimi wasn't holding just any piece of clothing. She was holding _his_ clothing. His black jumpsuit. She held the hanger with her right hand and his belt with her left. "Ta-DA!~"

The man in green wasn't sure what to say. "You still have that thing?"

"Of course! I wouldn't throw this away just 'cause you aren't here!"

"But...Why is it in _your_ closet?"

"After you gave this to the Count, he told me to put it in your room just in case you ever decided to be a part of us again. I just shoved it in here because I was lazy. Anyway, try it on! I wanna see if it still fits!"

He stared at his old clothing for a few seconds. Then he took the hanger from her hand. "Alright, I'll try it on. But you have to wait outside."

Mimi smirked. "Why? It's not like you've got anything that I haven't seen before."

Mr. L frowned. "Okay, now you _definitely_ have to get out."

The spider sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll be waiting outside when you're done."

With that, Mimi left the closet and shut the door behind her. Once she was gone, Mr. L examined his clothing. _It still looks nice. Let's hope it fits._

Mr. L took off Luigi's hat and kicked off his boots. Then he got his arms out of the overall straps and pulled the overalls down to his feet. Next, the man in green stripped down to his boxers. Tiny scars were all over his thighs and chest. Mr. L assumed Luigi only cut his arms at first, but soon discovered that he cut in other places too. Every time he saw these scars, he was filled with dread. _I wish you wouldn't do this to yourself, Lightning._

He shook his head. No need to think about that now. Mr. L grabbed his jumpsuit and started to put it on.

"So, I take it you like Luigi's life?" Mimi asked.

He shrugged. "Eh. There are ups and downs."

"Oh? And I'm guessing Princess Daisy is part of that equation?"

His cheeks turned bright red. "Shut up!"

She laughed. "Oh come on. I know you like her. Everyone does."

Mr. L sighed. "It doesn't matter how I feel about her. She's not my girlfriend."

"Isn't she though? I mean, you and Luigi are the same person."

He frowned. "I guess we're the same. But that's not how she sees it."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." He put on the belt and clicked it into place. "Okay, I've got it on. I'm coming out now." He opened the door and stepped out.

Her eyes widened. "Damn. I forgot how good-looking you were."

"Um...Thanks?"

She approached him. "How does it fit?"

"Pretty good, actually. Do you have my old hat too?"

"I've got everything. Like I said, I would never get rid of your stuff." Mimi went into the closet and grabbed the box. She came out with it and shut the door behind her. Then she opened the box and pulled his accessories out. "Here you are. You wanna go all the way?"

He shrugged. "Why not? I'm already halfway there."

"Okay. I think you can stay out here for this stuff."

He nodded and handed her the bandanna. "Can you help me put this part on? It's been awhile. I don't want to put it on too tight."

"Sure thing." Mimi grabbed a stool in the corner. She stood on it and tied the bandanna around his neck. Once it was tied securely, Mimi got off of the stool and handed him his gloves. He put them on and slipped into his grey boots. She handed him his mask and he placed it over his eyes. Finally, he pulled the hat out of the box and put it on his head. Mr. L turned to Mimi, now fully dressed. "Well? What do you think?"

She grinned. "I think the Green Thunder strikes again."

Mr. L smiled. "I'm flattered."

Just then, the door opened. They both turned. Daisy was standing in the doorway.

* * *

His eyes widened. "Daisy!?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's me. The Sarasaland princess. You probably want to know what I'm doing here, huh?"

His eyes narrowed. _Why is she talking like that? It's like she doesn't even know me._

Mimi blinked a few times. "Uh...Yeah. What _are_ you doing here?" She quickly added, "No offense, your highness."

"Well, I heard my boyfriend was staying here. But clearly I'm in the wrong room, so...I'll just be on my way now." Daisy turned and left. She didn't look back.

Silence. After a few seconds, Mimi said, "Well, that was random." Then her eyes widened. She turned to her friend. "Hey, wait. Wasn't that your girlfriend?"

Just then, Tippi came. She was in her pixel form, her wings flying rapidly. "Wait, your highness!" She stopped and turned to them. "Did either of you speak to the princess?"

The spider nodded. "Yeah, she was just here. Why?"

"She said that she wanted to talk to Luigi. I agreed to take her to him and..." She stopped. "Wait a minute..."

Mr. L walked out of the room. He went down the hall and caught up with the princess. He grabbed her arm. Daisy stopped and turned to him. "Um...Yes?"

"I can help you," He told her. "You're looking for Luigi, correct?"

Daisy nodded. "Yes, that's right. Have you seen him?"

 _So, she really doesn't recognize me._ He smiled. "As a matter of fact, I have."

She gasped. Her eyes lit up. "You have? Where is he? Can you lead me to him?"

Mr. L laughed. "Sure. But there's something I have to tell you first."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. Why did this masked man sound so familiar? "Okay. What is it?"

He smiled and pulled up his sleeve. Her eyes widened. There were scabs all over his arm.

Daisy looked up at him, shocked. "You're hurting yourself..."

He shook his head. "You see any fresh ones?"

The princess examined his arm. None of the scabs looked new. She shook her head, then asked, "Why are you showing me this?"

He smiled. "We owe you, princess. Thanks to our promise, we've been clean for a few months. Luigi would do anything to see you smile."

Daisy blinked a few times. Then she paid closer attention to his appearance. Silver eyes. Large round nose. Neat mustache. She glanced at his hat and saw the reverse L on the front. Then it clicked. "Mr. L!?"

"The one and only."

She stammered for a few seconds. Then she clenched her fists and stared at the floor. Her cheeks were as red as a fresh tomato. "Why are you...Dressed like that?"

"This is how I used to dress back when I served the Count." He spun around and did his trademark pose. "Like what you see?"

Daisy was silent. The Green Thunder was about to say more when she blurted out, "Why do you have to be so hot!?"

Mr. L laughed and went back to his normal position. "Good genetics?"

Daisy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry. That just sorta slipped out..."

"It's fine. I know I'm attractive."

"You two should kiss," Mimi said. She was standing in the doorway, smirking.

Mr. L shot her a look. "Mimi...A little privacy?"

She shrugged. "You're the ones standing in the middle of the hall."

He sighed and grabbed Daisy's hand. "Come on. I know somewhere where we can be alone."

* * *

Mr. L and Daisy walked through the halls of Castle Bleck in silence. Finally, the man in green spoke up. "Sorry. I know you came here for Luigi."

"It's okay. I've actually been thinking about you."

His heart skipped a beat. "You have?"

She nodded. "I thought a lot about what you said at the hospital. There's just one thing I don't get. Peach told me that Luigi was hypnotized into becoming you. But now I'm hearing that you have dissociative identity disorder. Which is it?"

"Oh. I guess that is a little confusing," He replied. Mr. L thought about it. "I think that when Nastasia brought me into this world, it was hypnosis. After all, I never turned into Luigi during my time here. But when Dimentio brought me back, it became DID. I'm guessing that the Chaos Heart fucked my head up."

Daisy nodded. "Where are we going anyway?"

"I want you to meet a close friend of mine."

"A close friend? But Tippi already introduced me. I'm pretty sure I've met everyone."

Mr. L smiled. "Not everyone."

The pair kept walking to their destination. Mr. L stopped at a door and opened it. The door lead to the outside. The sky was pitch black with purple swirls and the grass was gray. Daisy blinked a few times. "Why are we going outside?"

"Because that's where my friend is." He stepped outside. "Watch your step."

"But Mr. L!" Daisy called after him. He just kept walking. She sighed and followed him.

Mr. L lead her to a garage in the back of the castle. He entered a four-digit code on a small keypad. 6183. The door slid open. The Green Thunder gestured for her to follow him, then went in. Daisy followed. Mr. L closed the garage door. Total darkness.

"What did you shut the door for?" Daisy asked.

"I want my partner to make a grand entrance," Mr. L replied. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Ready."

He turned on the lights. The princess gasped. A giant metal machine sat in front of her. The robot looked like Luigi's head, right down to his mustache. Daisy's mouth fell open. Mr. L stepped in between his machine and the princess. He gestured towards his creation. "Princess, meet Brobot 3.0! Brobot, meet the princess."

Daisy blinked a few times. She went to Brobot and touched his metal surface. It felt warm. "You built this?"

Mr. L went next to her. "Uh-huh."

She turned to him. "Did anyone help you?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

Daisy's eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

"I am. If my word isn't enough, go ask the Count and the others. They hardly ever come here."

For once, the talkative princess had nothing to say. She knew that what he was saying was true. She couldn't imagine any of the others building this or even helping out. Only him. "How did you learn to do this? Did someone teach you?"

He shook his head. "I taught myself. I spent hours studying robotics in the library, even when it was late at night. I built the first copy of Brobot using tips and tricks from the manual. By the time I had to fix him up, I could do it myself, no books required. I'm a fast learner."

"Wow..." She whispered. "Can we ride in it?"

Mr. L frowned. " _Him_ , not it." Then he glanced at Brobot. "And I don't think so. I haven't tested him yet."

"So, let's test him now!"

He shook his head. "Daisy, I don't want you to get hurt. What if something goes wrong?"

"You have parachutes installed in him, right?" He nodded. "So, in case anything happens, we can just jump out! Please?"

He looked back at Brobot. It _was_ a lot of fun to ride in him. "Okay, fine."

"Woo-hoo!" Then a thought occurred to her. "So...How do we get in?"

"I'll show you." He walked to the back of the machine and the princess followed. Mr. L offered his hand. "Take my hand."

Daisy hesitated, but took it. Mr. L bent his knees. Then he did his super jump, taking the princess with him. They landed on a chunk of metal that was sticking out of the robot's head. Mr. L opened a door. They walked inside.

She examined her surroundings. There were several flashing lights and speedometers in the back. Right next to the flashing lights was a large red button. In all caps, there were a few words below the button. EMERGENCY SELF-DESTRUCT. In the front, there was a control panel filled with buttons along with a pair of red levers.

Mr. L sat in a chair next to the control panel. "Welcome inside the first non-combative form of Brobot! It pains me to see him in pieces, so I'd prefer if things went smoothly here." He patted down on a chair right next to his own. "Take a seat."

She smiled and sat in the chair. "Alright. So, what now?"

Mr. L thought about it. Then he smiled. "How about I show you around?"

"Go ahead."

He put his seatbelt on. The princess did the same. Mr. L pushed a button. The robot began to hover in the air. He grabbed the levers and pulled them towards him. Brobot left the garage and drifted through the sky. Once they were high enough, the two looked down. Daisy saw little houses all crowded together.

The Green Thunder pointed them out. "That's the village."

She turned to him. "There are other people living out here?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Did you think the Count lived in the middle of nowhere?"

"It kind of felt that way."

"I guess I can see that. Want to pay the village a visit?"

"Um...Sure. It does look kind of cute," She replied.

He pushed the levers forward. Brobot rushed towards the ground.

Daisy cried out. "What are you doing!?"

Mr. L ignored her. His smile grew. He started moving the levers around. Brobot swung in all directions. Swirls in the sky. Up and down like an airplane. They even flipped upside down. Then he raced towards the village.

Daisy screamed. The princess clung onto him. "L, SLOW DOWN!"

Mr. L laughed. "Where's the fun in that?"

The houses of the village started getting bigger and bigger. The villagers started to look more like people instead of ants. They were all staring at Brobot. Daisy covered her eyes. Just when she thought they were going to crash, Mr. L pulled the levers towards him. They dipped up. He raced through the village, only a few feet above the houses.

Some people were running away in fear. Others were staring in shock. One old toad was shaking his fist and yelling profanities at them. Mr. L grinned and waved. Daisy mouthed an apology, hoping at least one person would catch it. Then they left the village as quickly as they came.

Mr. L landed Brobot on a hilltop a few miles away from the outskirts of town. He grinned at Daisy. "That was fun, huh?"

She glared at him. "No! That was awful! What were you thinking!?"

He frowned. "Oh come on. You had fun and you know it."

She remembered all of those people's reactions to them. Daisy started cracking up. "Actually, I kinda liked when those toads ran around in circles."

Mr. L smiled. "See? Told you."

The two of them stared out into the sky in a comfortable silence.

Daisy glanced at her friend. "Hey, L?"

He turned to her. "Yeah?"

"You know how I said I'd been thinking about you?" He nodded. "Well, I haven't just been thinking about your backstory. I was also thinking about...The kiss."

He gripped the levers tighter. It didn't mean anything. She was thinking of Luigi when she did it. "Yeah. What about it?"

"It just felt so nice. I've kissed Luigi plenty of times, but it never felt like _that._ You make me feel so special."

His cheeks started burning. "I do?"

She nodded. "I'm not gonna lie. You seemed like such a jerk at first. But I know you weren't trying to offend me or anything. You were just trying to make me happy. I bet you thought he told me all about you. But he didn't."

"He's kept so much from me. And I'm not just talking about you. I mean the cutting. It's hard to believe he's been doing this for years and no one knew about it, not even his own brother. But you...You have no secrets."

"You were right about what you said at the hospital," She continued. "You _are_ part of Luigi, but there's more to you than that. You're an arrogant prick, but you're also sweet when you want to be and genuinely funny at times. Not to mention smart. I mean, you built this whole thing all by yourself!"

Daisy paused. She was rambling. She might as well get on with it. "I guess what I'm trying to say is..." The princess turned. She gasped. He wasn't even listening. Instead, his head was lowered. She glared. "Don't nod off when I'm pouring my heart out, you jerk!" She hit him on the head.

He flinched. "Ow!" Then he looked up. He blinked a few times. "Daisy?"

"Uh, yeah. I was trying to talk to you and you completely zoned out!"

"I did? Oh, I'm sorry. I guess..." He looked to the left and saw himself through his mirror. His eyes widened. "Huh!? W-Why am I dressed like I'm about to rob a bank or something!?"

Now Daisy understood. "Luigi?"

Luigi turned to her and nodded. He took off the mask. "I'm sorry, Daisy. The last thing I remember is going to bed last night. I don't remember dressing up like this or getting inside this...Thing...I just..." Then he paused. "That was all him, wasn't it?"

She nodded. "Sorry for hitting you. I was talking to him about something."

"Don't worry, sweetheart." He glanced at the levers and the control panel. "So, um...What is this thing exactly?"

"Mr. L built this machine that he calls Brobot. He says he built this all by himself."

Luigi's eyes widened. He looked around him. "He built this...All by himself?" She nodded. "Wow."

Daisy smiled. "We should probably be heading back now."

Luigi nodded. He turned to the control panel and pulled the levers down slowly. The robot hovered in the air. The man in green had a distant look in his eyes as he flew them back to the castle. The flight was nice and smooth and Brobot came back in one piece. After Luigi went through the garage, he landed the machine. Luigi pulled the key out of the ignition. Brobot turned off.

He undid his seat beat. "Okay. Let's get back."

Daisy stared at him. "How did you do that?"

"I'm not sure. I was kinda dozing off during it. I know it sounds dangerous, but it worked for me." Luigi stood up. "How did you guys get in?"

Daisy undid her seat belt and went to the door. She opened it. "Through here."

The plumber nodded. Luigi held his hand out. "Take my hand."

Daisy took it. The two jumped out together. Then they left the garage and went back inside the castle.

* * *

When they went inside, they found Nastasia waiting for them. "There you are. I was looking for you two. The Count wanted me to tell you that dinner was ready." She turned to Daisy. "You're welcome to stay the night as our special guest, if you want."

She smiled. "I'd be honored. What are we having?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs," Nastasia replied.

Luigi lit up like the fourth of July. "Yay!" He grabbed Daisy's hand. "Come on! Let's go!"

He rushed to the dining room. Then he let go of Daisy. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry for rushing you."

She sighed. The Mario brothers couldn't live without their pasta. "It's fine."

She looked around and noticed Count Bleck and his minions sitting at the table. Count Bleck sat at the head of the table while Tippi hovered next to him. There was a big bowl of plain spaghetti in the middle. There was a separate bowl for tomato sauce and another for meatballs. A long loaf of bread was on the table, sitting on a cutting board. There was also a bowl of salad.

"Blumiere and I got a little lazy tonight," Tippi said. "I hope this isn't too simple for you, Princess."

Daisy grinned. "It's okay! I like pasta as much as the next person." She sat down with Luigi and tapped his shoulder. He leaned over. She whispered, "They're treating me awfully nice. Is it because I'm a royal?"

Luigi laughed and shook his head. He whispered back, "No, that's not it. You'd be surprised how Mr. L and the others treated Peach when they were fighting with Mario. It's mostly because you're a guest."

Daisy smiled. "Good." She didn't like receiving special treatment just because her father was the king of Sarasaland.

"You guys were gone for a couple of hours," Mimi piped up. "What were you doing out there?"

Luigi's eyes widened. "Nothing! Mr. L was just showing Daisy his robot thingy."

Mimi smirked. "Is that _all_ you were doing?"

"Mimi!" Count Bleck said. "That's their business, not ours."

She pouted and sat back in her seat.

"So..." Tippi began, trying to change the subject. "Do you mind telling us how you two met?"

"Not at all," Daisy replied. "We were just teenagers then. Peach was kidnapped by Bowser and Mario and Luigi got her back. It was the first time, but it wouldn't be the last." She chuckled. "The king threw a party for the Mario brothers to thank them for saving his daughter. I was invited to the party, of course. That's where we first met." She looked at Luigi, wanting him to continue the story.

Luigi grinned. "She talked to both of us, but we hit it off really well. We went on and on about anything and everything. Soon, we became really good friends. Then I started to feel something more for her. But I couldn't tell her how I felt because..." Luigi frowned. "Daisy was already going out with Mario."

Mimi stopped eating. Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Daisy blushed. "You see, Mario saved me from this nut job who tried to force me to marry him. I was in love with what Mario did, not him. I couldn't tell the difference. We broke it off because we decided we were better as just friends. And then I started to fall in love with Luigi instead."

"I was attracted to her fire, her energy," Luigi explained. "And she liked my kindness and how brave I was, even when I got scared. We liked each other for awhile, but we were both afraid of ruining our friendship. I confessed to her awhile ago and we've been together ever since."

"Aww!" Mimi gushed. "So cute!"

"Mimi here is a sucker for romance, if you couldn't tell," Nastasia muttered while twirling her pasta with her fork.

Count Bleck smiled. "She's not the only one." He said, looking at his wife. Then he gave her a soft kiss.

Tippi turned bright red. "Blumiere, you're embarrassing me..."

He laughed. "I'm sorry, Timpani. I couldn't help myself."

Nastasia watched Count Bleck and Tippi. Even though she wore a neutral expression most of the time, she had a frown on her face. She turned to Luigi. "Hey, Luigi? Can we talk for a moment? I thought of a way I could help with your problem earlier today."

Luigi looked up. He wiped the sauce off his mouth with his napkin. "Um...Okay."

He stood from his chair and left with Nastasia. As soon as they were gone, Daisy decided to ask the others a question. "Can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course," Count Bleck said. "What is it?"

Daisy hesitated. "Do you mind telling me a little more about Dimentio?"

Everyone was silent. The atmosphere was so thick that you could cut it. Finally, Count Bleck spoke up. His voice was lowered. "Dimentio betrayed us all."

"That meanie actually made us think he was our friend!" Mimi said. "He was just playing us the whole time. And he read my diary!"

"He tried to end our count's game! And when Nastasia protected him, she almost lost hers," O'Chunks added.

Daisy knew this was bringing up horrible memories for them, but she had to know more. "Well, he was part of you guys at one point. Surely there were some things that you liked about him."

The table was quiet again. "He was rather charismatic," Count Bleck muttered.

" _Very_ charismatic," Mimi agreed. "And so well-spoken. He was always sure of himself."

"A real poetic lad," O'Chunks added. "Fond of the similes and things. Said I was as burly as a raging bull when we first met."

Mimi sighed. "This might sound crazy, but I kinda miss that stupid jerk. In spite of everything."

Count Bleck and O'Chunks nodded in agreement. The former sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't place all the blame on him. I was practically begging for what happened in the end."

Everyone turned to him. "Blumiere..." Tippi whispered.

"I knew something was off about him the second he asked to be a part of us. I turned him away at first, but then I read about a character in the Dark Prognosticus: 'A jester of purple shall hold the power of the Chaos Heart.' So, I let him join. I should've listened to my intuition."

Count Bleck sighed. "Not only did he betray us, but he also betrayed Mr. L. He always thought of Dimentio as a good friend, and what does he do to him? Force him out and turn him into something inhuman for his own selfish reasons."

Daisy cringed. "That was what made Luigi start cutting himself."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Though it saddens me to think one of my former minions ended up this way. I always liked to think that our man in green was happy, finally free to live as his true self."

There were a few seconds of silence. Then Mimi said, "Okay, this is getting depressing. Moving on!~"

They started talking about other things, but it didn't feel the same as before. Daisy regretted asking about Dimentio.

Soon, Nastasia returned with Luigi. "We're back!" Luigi said. He sat back down next to Daisy. "Mr. L came out early on, so I don't really remember our chat. But I think we made progress!"

"Oh, good! What did you guys talk about, Nassy?" Mimi asked.

Nastasia sat back down. "What I talk about with Mr. L is our own private business." Mimi frowned, but went back to eating. The assistant looked around the table. "So, did you guys find anything interesting to talk about when we were gone?"

The rest of dinner went about as well as it could. The mood lightened a bit when Luigi returned and Daisy felt more comfortable with her boyfriend at her side. After everyone was done eating, Count Bleck and his minions started cleaning up. Luigi and Daisy wanted to help, but the Count told them not to. "We'll take care of this. Go on to your own devices."

"Okay. If you insist," Luigi said. He grabbed Daisy's hand. "Come on, _amore._ "

* * *

Luigi and Daisy walked down on the hall. He smiled. "You know, I think I'm starting to remember this place a little more."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. Even though Mr. L said that Luigi couldn't remember being him, he knew how to fly Brobot back. And he remembered this place. "He told me that you forget about being him. Is that true?"

Luigi shook his head. "Not exactly. See, I remember a _little_ bit of being him. It sort of feels like being in a dream and knowing you're asleep, but you just can't wake up. And like how you forget most of your dreams, I forgot most of what I did as him."

"But I do remember little bits. I remember fighting Mario in space. I remember spending time with the others and laughing with them. I remember how loyal I was to the count, and for what reason? There was none, other than that was what my brainwashing told me to do. And I remember..."

His eyes grew distant. He stared off into space. After an uncomfortable five seconds, Daisy shook him.

Luigi jumped. He looked at her, startled. "Sorry. What was I saying?"

Daisy frowned. "It's getting late. Maybe we should get to bed."

He nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna sleep in Mr. L's room since it's my room too. I'm pretty sure they have a guest room somewhere."

She shook her head. "No, I want to sleep with you. Is that okay?"

Luigi blushed. Then he nodded. That was when they heard something from outside. The calm sound of rain. He smiled. "Ah, I love it when it rains! It's like giving all the plants and trees a drink!" A sudden flash. _BOOM!_ Luigi cried out and clung to Daisy. "Oh no! It's a th-th-thunder storm! I hate thunder storms!"

Daisy laughed. He did a complete 180 real fast. "Relax, Wee-gee. It's not gonna hurt you. My dad always told me that thunder storms was just God throwing a party."

"Well, he needs to be more quiet!"

The princess laughed and took his hand. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. Which way is his room?"

Luigi sighed. "Oh, right. I have to lead. Well, I've been here for about a week, so I think I know where I'm going."

He lead her to Mr. L's room. Then he peered inside. Luigi grinned and opened the door even wider. "Found it! And on my first try too!"

Daisy went inside. The walls were covered in forest green paint and mechanical posters as well as a few blueprints. There was a bed on the left side of the room with green blankets and a couple of black pillows. There was also a door on the other side of the room. Across the room, there was a writing desk with a window above it that was covered in green drapes along with a bookshelf. In the corner, there was a full body mirror that was getting dusty.

She turned to him. "Um...What should I wear to bed? I left my pajamas at my castle."

After some thinking, Luigi suggested that she borrow one of Tippi's nightdresses. Daisy nodded and left the room. After having a friendly conversation with Tippi, she allowed her to borrow an orange nightdress. It was a bit short for Daisy since she was taller, but it was something. She thanked her and returned to Mr. L's room.

When she opened the door, Luigi was shirtless and wearing a pair of green boxers. Daisy's eyes widened.

Luigi tilted his head, oblivious. "What?"

She looked away, blushing. "Nothing. Let's get to bed."

"Okay. Which side do you want?"

"I'll take the right."

The thunder went off, louder this time. Luigi whimpered. Daisy turned off the lights, then took his hand and lead him to the bed. The two said good night to each other and tried to fall asleep.

Daisy was still awake ten minutes later. She stared at the ceiling with a lost look in her eyes. The princess had never been more confused in her life.

She thought of the man lying beside her. He was sweet and a bit shy. His innocence was what made her fall in love with him. Not to mention his bravery. Sure, he was afraid while going on adventures and terrified when he was in that mansion, but there was no such thing as courage without fear.

Then she thought of Mr. L. He was something else. Cocky, arrogant, and dripping with sarcasm. But there were good things about him too. He was always confident, never faltering or thinking twice. He was smart and kind when he wanted to be. Plus, there was the eyes. Those captivating silver eyes. They had haunted her ever since her visit at the hospital. Sometimes, Daisy forgot that he was an alter. He seemed as human as anyone else.

That was what made this so hard.

Daisy couldn't hold it in anymore. She had to tell Luigi, before she did anything that she might regret. "Hey, Wee-gee? Are you still awake?"

Luigi yawned. "Yeah? What is it?"

She bit her lip. "I have something important to tell you."

Luigi turned. "What is it?"

She flipped over so she could face him. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so she could see his face. "Promise you won't be mad?"

He shook his head. "Of course not." Then his eyes grew wide. "You haven't been cheating on me, have you?"

She shook her head. That one kiss in the hospital hardly qualified as cheating. "No, I haven't. I just..." Daisy sighed. "I can't do this..."

Luigi took her hand. "It's okay. I'm listening."

Daisy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Might as well get it over with. "I think I'm falling in love with Mr. L."

Luigi's eyes widened. Daisy turned away from him, ashamed. "I'm sorry."

The man in green was quiet for a long time. Then he put his arm over her side and turned her back over. He asked quietly, "So, you're leaving me?"

She shook her head. "No, I love you too."

Luigi was taken back. "Huh!?"

Daisy smiled. "What? Can't I love you both? After all, you're..."

"Don't say it."

"What? I haven't even finished."

She could make out his frown in the dark. "You're going to say we're the same person. But we're not. We're worlds apart."

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. "L is brave. I'm a coward. L is into robotics. I don't know the first thing about that stuff. L loves himself. I..." He stopped. "The point is...We're different. We're not the same at all. So, you can't love him and me at the same time! It makes no sense!"

Daisy noticed his voice shaking. Was he crying? "Luigi..."

"No! I don't wanna talk!" BOOM! Luigi cried out and buried his face in the pillows. His voice was muffled. "Let's just...Go to sleep. Please?"

The princess touched his back. He stiffened. She felt him shaking a little. Daisy started to chew her nails. She was afraid this would happen. She tried to think of something to say. Something to make him feel better. "I don't love you any less. You're my best friend."

Luigi was silent. She thought she heard his head sinking even further into the pillow. "Luigi, please talk to me. I'm not trying to hurt you. I just...I thought you should know. After all, what kind of relationship would we have if I kept this from you?"

The younger Mario brother lifted his head from the pillow. He blinked a few times. "Do you really mean it? Do you really love Mr. L?"

Daisy nodded. Luigi grinned. He laughed a little. She raised an eyebrow, confused. A few seconds ago, Luigi was devastated. Now he was happy about this? It all made sense when she felt a soft pair of lips caressing her cheek. _"Ti amo anche, fiore,"_ He said, his voice as smooth as silk.

Her eyes widened. Luigi taught her a little Italian, so she could understand what he was telling her. I love you too, flower. That meant...

"I thought you said you had no desire to love."

Mr. L frowned. "I didn't. All that flirting at the restaurant? I was just messing around. But when we shared that perfect kiss at the hospital...I fell for you in an instant."

Daisy blushed. Was that when she fell for him too? "Oh."

There was a moment of silence. The two stared at each other. Neither of them knew what to do.

"Daisy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

She nodded. He got closer to her and put his hands on her face. Then he leaned forward. Their lips touched.

Once again, this kiss was new. It was dark and passionate. She hesitated before slipping her tongue in his mouth. He accepted her unspoken challenge and their tongues battled for dominance. He won, but Daisy didn't care. His hands moved down to her waist. He held onto her tight.

Daisy pulled back a little. "You've gotten really good at this. Have you been taking lessons?"

Mr. L laughed and shook his head. "I'm a fast learner, remember?" He purred.

They went back to kissing. Daisy felt safe in his arms. His lips felt warm. He kissed like an expert. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Maybe things would be okay, like this.

Then an image popped into her head. It was a smiling face with kind blue eyes. Luigi. He trusted her. How could she ever betray him?

She started shaking. Mr. L held her hands, trying to comfort her. She didn't want this to end. She wanted to fall deeper into his spell. But no. Daisy couldn't. She pulled away. Mr. L started to move forward, but she shook her head. "Stop, please."

He frowned and let go of her hands. "What's wrong?"

"I can't cheat on Luigi! I can't! You said it yourself. If he found out that I was kissing you, he'd think of it as cheating! We can't. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

He was silent. "Daisy...I _am_ Luigi."

She shook her head. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. I'm just a part of him that you don't know very well. Please don't be scared of me. I love you, Daisy."

She was silent. Then she moved forward, into his arms. The princess started crying into his chest. This only made her feel worse. She _hated_ crying in front of people. It made her feel weak. The only ones she felt okay crying in front of were her father and maybe Peach. Not Luigi. _Especially_ not him. She loved him too much to let him see her like that.

"I-I'm just trying to be a good g-girlfriend. I want to be loyal to him, but you're giving me m-mixed feelings and...I'm so confused!"

"It's okay. I am too."

This moment of weakness made her blurt out something she would regret. "Why do you have to switch back and forth all the time!? Why can't you be just Luigi or just Mr. L!? Pick one and _stick with it!"_

He froze. Daisy realized her mistake. This wasn't something he could control. She looked up at him. "I'm sorry..."

He frowned. "It's okay." It didn't sound like it was okay.

"No, really. I'm-"

Mr. L let go of Daisy. He turned away from her. "I just remembered. I need to get to bed. I have something important to do in the morning."

She blinked. "Something important? What is it?"

"You'll see. Get some rest, dear."

Daisy nodded. She felt awful. She just kept hurting her boyfriend. The princess hesitated. Then she cuddled up against him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Is this okay?"

Mr. L nodded. Daisy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She listened to the rain outside. Every now and then, thunder would go off. Daisy waited for Luigi to come to his senses, scream, and hold her tightly. But Mr. L wasn't afraid of thunder. In fact, he had a content smile on his face.

Soon, the man beside her fell asleep. She heard his soft snoring. But she didn't mind. She started to drift off herself. The last thing Daisy remembered before falling asleep was thunder in the distance.

* * *

 _Fun Fact: This chapter was over 10,000 words long before I trimmed it down._

 _Headcanon: Sometimes, Mr. L will call Luigi "lightning." I hadn't thought of this at the time, but it makes sense if you think about it. Lightning always comes before thunder. In a way, he's referencing how he was part of Luigi before he was himself._

 _Headcanon: Luigi is scared of thunder and will sleep with Mario during a thunder storm. Mr. L, on the other hand, loves thunder. In fact, it calms him down._

 _DAMN, this chapter was hard to write! Definitely the hardest so far. Sorry for the long wait. I'm surprised that I uploaded all 5 chapters within a little over a week while this one took a month to release._

 _I had Daisy ask about Dimentio because looking back on earlier chapters, I made him seem like the devil and that's not necessarily true. He may have been a psycho, but there were some good things about him. Count Bleck and his minions (and Mr. L) are just upset about his betrayal._

 _I know that this fanfic is starting to be more about Mr. L than Luigi, but I'm trying to give them both some airtime. Plus, the way they switch actually made for a good joke. You might be a little confused, with Luigi insisting they're not the same and Mr. L saying that they are. Well, if you were to ask whether or not I think they're the same, I'd say yes and no. They are opposite in terms in personality, but they do share the same body and soul._

 _I'm not sure about the ending of this story, so I set up a poll on my profile page to let you guys decide. Please vote! Whichever ending gets the most votes gets to be the true ending of this story. The second choice might be an "alternate" ending._

 _Next time: A journey of the mind. A raging thunder storm. Memories of his former life rush back to him, as welcoming as a splash of cold water to the face. And standing in the distance, locked inside a fragile jade room, is none other than..._

 _-Colorful and Free_


	7. Sound of the Storm

_Disclaimer: I've tried to be careful at portraying DID in this story. It's a serious disorder and I don't want to appear insensitive. But I'm just gonna come out and say that this part of the story is not 100% accurate to Dissociative Identity Disorder. I know that this 'integration' process is not how it works in real life. It takes years and a lot of therapy. I've tried to have the characters explain it at one point in this chapter, but I don't blame you if you find the explanation lame. I hope this isn't coming across as disrespectful. (I'll be the first to admit I could've done a lot more research in this area.)_

 _The last chapter will be split into three parts since it would be massive if I uploaded it all at once. Just a heads-up, the chapter length will be more or less the same as Chapter 6 from here on out. (The last chapter might be shorter. I know that the epilogue won't be this long.) If that was too long for you...Sorry._

 _And now, onto the fic!_

* * *

 _"Are you okay, sir?"_

 _"What are you doing here? In my head!? And why do you look so much like me!?"_

 _He shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's because of Dimentio. What was your name again?"_

 _"My name? It's..."_

Mr. L woke up. Then he sat up and yawned. He hadn't had a dream like that since he was one of Count Bleck's minions. At least it wasn't as bad as some of the others.

He looked to his right. Daisy was still in bed. Her hair was a mess and she was drooling all over the pillow. She looked amazing. He smiled. Then her words from the previous night came rushing back. _"Why can't you be just Luigi or just Mr. L!? Pick one and stick with it!"_

Mr. L sighed. He got out of bed and went to his writing desk. He pulled the drawer open and took out a piece of paper. This was the same piece of paper that he used for his message to Luigi. Except it wasn't just that one letter anymore. It also had lots of tiny messages.

 _Is that really you, Mr. L? Unless this is some prank that the nurses are pulling on me, but I don't think it is. Gosh. Even your handwriting is different. You talked to my bro and girlfriend as me? That's kind of strange to think about. I'm impressed you fooled Mario though. I have trouble believing Daisy didn't mind. But it's not fair that you swore me off of cutting. I should be the one to do that. -Luigi._

 _I did it for your own good, you coward. Aren't pinky promises sacred or something? She said that she would come whip your ass if you did it again, so you better not. I'm in no mood to get my ass kicked. -L._

 _Did you talk to Peach too? What'd she say? I'm having the urge to do it again..._

 _Don't you fucking dare. Yeah, I talked to Ms. Always-gets-kidnapped. She said that she was really worried about you, you should have told her, bla bla bla._

 _I don't like cursing. Please don't. And don't call Peach that! She doesn't choose to get kidnapped. Although I'm glad she cares about me._

The man in green sighed. There was one good thing to come out of all this. Luigi and Mr. L were starting to get along better. They wrote to each other about all kinds of things, but they never talked about their unusual situation.

Mr. L turned to Daisy. She muttered and rolled over in her sleep. He walked up to her with a sad look in his eyes. "You deserve better than someone like us. Someone like _me_."

He looked back at the paper in his hands. Then an idea came to mind. But first he had to get dressed.

He went into the closet. Instead of his normal black and green attire, he decided to go with something that both he and Luigi would feel comfortable wearing. He chose a dark green sweater and some baggy pants. Mr. L decided to keep his mask on since it was easy to take off.

Once he was dressed, Mr. L went to the writing desk and sat in the chair. He pulled out another piece of paper and crafted a new message for Daisy. It took him a few times to get it right. Then he left the finished letter on the nightstand. Mr. L gave Daisy one last kiss on the forehead. "Bye, darling."

Then the Green Thunder left the room. He went downstairs and into the dining room. To his surprise, no one was there. There was a plate with cinnamon rolls on it and another with pastries. The smell of sugar and cinnamon was in the air. He saw a note on the table. He picked it up and read it.

 _Went out to do some errands. Nastasia is still there if you need company. -Count Bleck (and Timpani)_

The man in green let out a sigh of relief. He was normally an extrovert, but he didn't think that talking would help today. He went to the kitchen and found Nastasia at the kitchen table. She rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes and took a sip of coffee. She also had a plate with two strawberry strudels in front of her. The assistant picked up one of them and bit into it.

"Hey, girlie," Mr. L greeted.

Nastasia turned to him. "Morning, L. You're up late."

Mr. L went to the coffee machine. He grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured coffee into it. "I was talking to Daisy."

"About what? If you don't mind me asking."

He dumped creamer into his cup, turning the black drink into a caramel brown. Then he added a spoonful of sugar. "Nothing, really. It would probably bore you."

Nastasia shook her head. "I'll listen to anything you have to say, as long as it's not about clothes or boys."

Mr. L turned to face her. "Is the spider here?"

She shook her head. "She's out with the others."

He let out a sigh of relief. Maybe it would be better to talk to Nastasia about this. Mimi would squeal and then ramble about all of the complications. Nastasia would just listen and maybe give him advice.

Mr. L sat down with Nastasia. "Well, I was...I mean, _Luigi_ was about to fall asleep. And then she told him that she loves me. Not him. _M_ _e._ Luigi thought she was leaving him and freaked out. Then I told her that I loved her back and..."

He shifted in his seat. "After we...um..." His cheeks turned red. Mr. L cleared his throat. "After we talked about some things, she told me I should just pick one personality and stick with it. And...Well...It was quite a shock. No one's ever said that to us before."

Nastasia frowned. "Hmm." After some thinking, she said, "There's an old saying that applies to your situation. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

He blinked a few times. "Are you saying Daisy doesn't matter?"

"I'm saying you need to think about your relationship with her. Look, I've spent my teenage years chasing after a man who didn't love me back. And now he's married to someone else."

Mr. L blinked a few times. She read his mind. "I'm over him. Don't worry. I'm just saying that you're not going to get anywhere chasing after someone who doesn't love you for you. What if she _doesn't_ like you the same way? What if she's confusing you with him?"

Mr. L groaned. "You're not helping."

"Sorry. Emotional guidance isn't exactly my strong point."

"It's okay."

Nastasia took another bite of her strudel. The red filling dripped down onto the plate. "You know, I'm starting to think they misdiagnosed you. Dissociative identity disorder is very serious. It takes years for someone to overcome. But this can be taken care of in a day. Not to mention it's often caused by childhood trauma. You're a full grown adult."

"We don't know if it will work," Mr. L pointed out. "And Dimentio used dark magic on me. Plus, we literally fused with a weapon of mass destruction. Don't you think that stuff would alter the mind a little?"

"Still...I don't know if we can call you an _alter_ , per sae."

"Well, I did some research the other night. There are similarities."

She raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Well, for starters, we switch often. And we're different in a lot of ways. Practically opposites. I don't know much about his life either. I don't know his family or friends or how things were before he became me." He became quiet. When he spoke again, his words were more to himself than Nastasia. "Sometimes, I don't even know why I'm here. It may have been to destroy Mario. But if that's the case, why am I still around? Maybe it's to be a front for him. He was always scared of everything..."

"You seem upset. Are you alright?" Nastasia asked.

"I think it's time."

She paled a little. "Time for...?"

He nodded. Nastasia took a deep breath. "Yes, of course. That is what you came here for. Let's wait until the others get back, 'kay? They'll want to say their goodbyes. Have you said goodbye to Daisy already?"

He gulped. "I left a letter for her."

Nastasia nodded. "Hmm." She looked at her plate. There was one strudel left. She frowned and passed it to him. "You can have that if you want. It's strawberry flavored. I remember that was your favorite."

She went to the sink and dumped her coffee. Then she squirted soap into the cup and filled it with water. The assistant was about to leave the room when Mr. L stood. "Nastasia?"

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"Thank you. For all of your help."

The woman shook her head. "You shouldn't be thanking me. I did this to you, remember? Or did you forget that part?"

"I remember. But you were just doing your job. Right?"

Just then, the front door opened. "We're back!" The count's voice echoed through the hall.

The two stared at each other in awkward silence. Neither of them wanted to move.

"Anybody home?" Tippi called.

Mr. L closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he forced a smile. "Okay. Let's go tell them."

* * *

Daisy woke up a little late. Her eyes fluttered open. She turned over, wondering if Mr. L was still with her. He wasn't. She sat up and ran her hands through her hair. Then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was a piece of paper. Daisy decided to put looking the letter off until she was dressed. She changed into a black dress that was sitting on a chair. It fit her well enough, so she picked up the letter and began to read it.

 _Daisy,_

 _Well, this is it. I knew this day was coming. Ever since Mario told me about Luigi. I've thought about it and I've made up my mind. I'm gonna fuse with him. We'll be one person again. He'll have his life back. And as for me...Well, let's just say the Green Thunder won't strike again._

 _I'm a little scared. I don't know what it's like to do this. It's not really death, is it? I'll just be part of him again. I hope that I fulfilled my purpose, whatever that was. I used to think I was one of Count Bleck's more promising minions. I hope I lived up to that too._

 _I was so sure of myself. And then I met you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're kind. Smart. Funny. And so beautiful. I love being with you, my flower. You almost make me want to stay. But this is for the best._

 _Take care of yourself. I love you. Forever and ever._

 _-Mr. L, the Green Thunder._

 _P.S. Tell Mario I'm sorry for trying to kill him and all._

Her eyes widened. She read the letter over and over again. "What does he _mean_ the Green Thunder won't strike again!?" She thought aloud. Then she read it one more time.

The realization hit her like a train. "Oh shit."

She put the letter down and ran out of the room. She raced down the stairs, hand on the rail. When she rushed into the room, Mimi was hugging him. Daisy stopped, not sure what to do. Was he Mr. L...or Luigi?

"You don't have to do this," Mimi whispered. "You can stay with us, just like old times."

He laughed a little. "You know as well as I do that that wouldn't work."

"But still..."

Daisy took a deep breath. Mr. L was still around. She clenched her fists. Rage was boiling within in her.

Nastasia walked up to them. "You ready for this?"

The man in green nodded. "Okay, Mimi. This is the part where we let go."

She shook her head. "No. I don't wanna."

O'Chunks came and pulled Mimi away. Then he put her down. Her eye makeup was smeared. She frowned and crossed her arms. "Meanies..."

Nastasia lead Mr. L away from their friends. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I've thought about it a lot. Plus, I've already said my goodbyes to everyone."

Daisy spoke up. "Not everyone."

They all turned to the princess. Mr. L beamed. "Daisy!" Then he frowned. "Wait. You're supposed to be in bed still!"

Mimi turned to him. "You didn't say goodbye to your girlfriend!?"

"She's not my girlfriend! She's-"

"Hey," Daisy started. "Do you mind if I have a little chat alone with Mr. L before we get this show on the road?"

They exchanged nervous glances. Then the Count nodded. "Of course. We'll be waiting in the other room."

Everyone started to leave. Daisy walked down the staircase, trying to keep her composure. O'Chunks patted Mr. L on the back. He whispered, "Good luck, lad."

The door shut. Mr. L turned to Daisy. "So, um...What did you want to-?"

She marched up to him and slapped him across the face.

For a moment, he was too shocked to even move. Then he glared daggers at his crush. "What the hell was that for!?"

"You know what it was for, you dumb ass! Do you really think that you can just leave me some sappy little love letter when you plan on leaving without even saying goodbye!?"

He frowned and crossed his arms. "You told me to pick one personality and stick with it. I'm doing what you and everyone else wants me to do."

"I said I was sorry, okay?"

"Not good enough! What's the point of sticking around if it's always gonna be about when Luigi's gonna get back!?"

Her eyes widened. "You think this is about Luigi!?"

"It always is!"

"Well, at least he knows how to treat a girl right!"

Mr. L clenched his fists. "You better take that back, if you know what's good for you."

Just then, someone opened the door. They turned. O'Chunks poked his head in. "If Chunks here cud give ya a piece of advice..."

"Can it!" Daisy cried.

"Not now!" Mr. L shouted at the same time.

O'Chunks shut the door.

There was an intense silence. Finally, Mr. L said quietly, "I don't see what you're so worked up about."

Daisy scowled. "What do you think I'm worked up about? Huh?"

He was silent. He stared off to the side.

She took that as a sign to continue. "I wasn't fooling around last night. I really do love you, whether I like it or not. And you love me too. Don't you?"

Mr. L glanced at her. "What did you think I meant when I said it?"

Daisy sighed. Her anger was fading. "I don't know. I just don't get why you would want to leave. You have everything you could ever want here. Family, friends, your own place in the Mushroom Kingdom. And even these guys seem to adore you."

"Most of that isn't mine," He muttered. "And the Count and his minions will be alright. They got along just fine without me."

"But still..." She paused. "Okay. Maybe I was a bit of a bitch. But I didn't mean it. I don't want to lose you. I..." Tears were streaming down her face. "I love you. So much. So, please don't leave me..."

The Sarasaland princess covered her face. Then she felt someone touch her shoulder. Daisy looked up.

Mr. L was right in front of her with a look of concern on his face. He wiped her tears. Then he hugged her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just didn't know how to face you. I had a feeling you would react this way."

Daisy took a deep breath. "It's okay. I take back what I said about you not treating me right. And sorry for hitting you."

Mr. L grinned. "I deserved it. And I'm sorry for potentially damaging your relationship..."

She smiled. "You didn't damage anything. I still love him very much. And you're him, aren't you?"

With that, she kissed him on the cheek. He started blushing. "I...um..."

Daisy laughed. The man she knew and loved was in there somewhere. The blush on his cheeks was enough evidence for her.

There was a knock at the door. "May we come back in?"

Mr. L nodded and opened the door. Mimi and O'Chunks were standing there. They both backed away and put their hands up defensively.

The man in green smirked, then looked to the source of the voice. "Of course, Count. Sorry."

Mimi smiled. "I knew it. I knew you two would get together."

"Oh, shut up."

She shook her head, a smile on her face. He narrowed his eyes, then took a deep breath. No need to get fired up now.

"If you don't mind waiting a little longer," Count Bleck began. "You have visitors."

He blinked a few times. "I...What?"

Just then, two people emerged from the crowd. Mr. L and Daisy gasped. Mario and Peach were standing in front of them with smiles on their faces.

* * *

"Peach!" Daisy cried. The two princesses hugged. Then they broke apart and chatted away, saying that it had been awhile and asking about their respective kingdoms.

Mr. L glanced at Mario. He searched for the usual fear in his eyes. There wasn't any.

Mario smiled and waved. "Hello."

Peach let go of Daisy. She looked at the man in green with uncertainty. "Um...You're Mr. L now, right?"

He nodded. Mr. L glanced at the Count. His eyes said it all. _What are they doing here?_

The latter shrugged. "They tell me that they used a wizard's magic to teleport here. The hero...I mean, Mario really wanted to see you."

Count Bleck and Mario stared at each other. Their eyes were locked for one intense moment. One was the hero of the Light Prognosticus while the other was the suicidal madman who fought against him. Then they nodded, as if to say, _"We're here for one purpose and one purpose only."_

Mr. L crossed his arms. Then he spoke, breaking the silence. "Let me guess. You're here for Luigi."

Peach nodded. "Yes. But we're here for you too."

His eyes widened. He stepped back. "What?"

"You heard her," Mario said.

Mr. L narrowed his eyes. "Oh, and I suppose King Incompetent is with you guys too?"

It took Mario and Peach a second to realize who he was referring to. Peach shook her head. "We asked Bowser if he wanted to come, but he said no. He still refuses to acknowledge that he actually helped you guys for once."

"He said, and I quote," Mario deepened his voice. "'Mr. L is Luigi's problem, not mine. I don't owe that pesky plumber anything."

Mr. L grinned. "That's okay. You guys are enough anyways."

The man in red smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, bro."

That last word wiped the smile off of his face. "I'm not your brother."

Mario frowned. "Yes, you are."

Mr. L shook his head. "No, I'm-"

Suddenly, Mario hugged him. Mr. L's eyes widened. The former spoke softly. "Yes, you are. As long as his blood is running through your veins, you are my little _fratello_ too."

The man in red hesitated. Then he whispered, "I'm sorry for how I treated you. It's just that...We were enemies back then. You hated me. So when I learned that you were still around, I wasn't sure how to react. I thought if I just ignored the problem, it would go away. But that's not how it works. I know that now. And if I had just taken the time to get to know _you_ , then maybe he wouldn't have hurt himself so bad."

Mario squeezed him tighter. "I'm so sorry..."

Mr. L stared into space. Why wasn't Luigi coming out? Mr. L hadn't said much to Mario outside of insults and name-calling. What was he supposed to do? He glanced at his friends. They stared back, waiting for his next move. When they saw he was asking for help, Nastasia shrugged.

Oh well. It wouldn't hurt to try.

Mr. L spoke with as steady a voice as he could muster. "I-It's okay, Mario. Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm not perfect either. I did try to kill you. Twice."

"You were just doing what you thought was right. I forgive you."

Mr. L was silent for a few seconds. It was just like him and Nastasia. Even though she did something horrible to him, he forgave her. So why did Mr. L feel like he didn't deserve Mario's forgiveness? "You wouldn't have happened to hear my rant about not feeling validated. Would you?"

Mario laughed. "You were shouting. And I was sitting right next to the door."

He frowned. "Sorry you had to hear that."

"No, it's okay. I'm glad I heard it."

Mr. L started trembling. Mario held him in a warm embrace. He didn't feel like the mysterious man that he fought with in the Whoa Zone. He felt like his sweet little brother. Then he heard whimpering. Mario knew that sound. He pulled back so he could look at him. "Are you crying?"

There were tears gathering in his eyes. Mr. L shook his head and wiped his tears. "N-No! I'm just sweating from my eyeballs!"

Mario laughed. "Never heard that one from you before! You know, it's okay to cry every once in awhile! My mama always said that real men aren't afraid to shed some tears."

Mr. L grinned. "She sounds nice. I wish I could've met her."

"You can, you know. She lives in Brooklyn and she owns this lovely little pizzeria. I could take you there and you can meet her. You can even try some of her world famous pizza too!"

For a moment, he considered giving up on integration and living Luigi's life. Meeting _his_ family and friends. Dating _his_ girl. Going on adventures and saving the world with _his_ brother.

Then he glanced at Count Bleck and his minions. They may have been nice, but they had awful intentions once. His eyes landed on Peach, who still keep a fair distance from him.

Nothing would change who he was and what he had done. He wasn't Luigi Mario, the world's most overlooked hero. He was Mr. L, the man who tried to kill Mario and his friends. The ideal vessel for the Chaos Heart. After all, Brobot wasn't built for playing around and scaring people. He was built to destroy others.

Mr. L shook his head. "Unfortunately, you're asking too late. I'm gonna try to bring Luigi back...For good."

There was a sadness in Mario's eyes. "Oh. Well then, I'll stay to see you off. It's too bad we didn't get to spend more time together."

He nodded. "Yeah. It is."

Mr. L walked over to Peach. She grew tense when she saw him. He smiled at her. "Hey, gorgeous. Long time no see, huh?"

Peach crossed her arms. "Are you ever going to stop being a prick?"

He laughed. "Nope. So, that whole shtick in the hospital was just pretend?"

She nodded. "I wasn't sure how to approach you. Plus, I figured you'd get the message passed onto him anyway."

"You're not wrong there. Look, I don't want to take up too much of your time here. Just please update your security. Unless you want to be Ms. Always-gets-kidnapped forever."

The Mushroom princess sighed. "Note taken. I don't know what it takes to bring Luigi back, but try not to hurt him. And please don't cause any long-term damage."

Mr. L smiled and nodded. In truth, he wasn't sure how this would affect Luigi. He hoped it wasn't enough to make the princess angry at him.

Nastasia came forward. "Alright. No more interruptions?" Everyone nodded. "Okay. Mr. L, if you would come with me."

He glanced at Mario, Peach, and Daisy. "Is it alright if a few people come with us?"

Nastasia shrugged. "I don't see why not. As long as they aren't loud."

Mr. L pointed to them. "You three, come with me. Luigi will need someone when he wakes up."

O'Chunks frowned. "Hey! What about us?"

He sighed and turned to him. "You guys are my dearest friends. But if I hear that you followed us, Luigi is not coming back to visit."

Mimi gasped. "You can't do that!"

"Sure I can. So, stay put. Got it?"

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Okay."

O'Chunks gave a reluctant nod. The Count tipped his hat. "It's been a pleasure having you with us."

Tippi came forward. "Good luck."

Mr. L waved to them. "L-ater!"

They said goodbye in their own personal way. The man in green smiled, then went to the living room. The room was set up with pillows and blankets everywhere. They spent at least half an hour doing that while getting their goodbyes in between.

Nastasia lead him to the couch. "Make sure you're nice and comfortable. This will be a long journey."

Mr. L nodded. He laid on the couch and put the blanket over him.

Daisy stood next to him. "Be careful."

He smiled. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

She smiled back. "Of course. I have a kingdom to run one day."

Mr. L gave Nastasia a thumbs up. "Ready."

Nastasia nodded. "Alright. Let's begin."

At first, it was nothing more than breathing exercises and advice to let all his tensions go. The typical stuff. Mr. L started chuckling halfway in. Nastasia frowned. "What's so funny?"

He opened his eyes. "It's ironic. I was once Luigi's hypnotic state. And now you're hypnotizing me."

"This is a different kind of hypnosis. Now shut your eyes. And quit laughing."

Mr. L smiled, but closed his eyes again.

After a few more exercises, she started pulling him back. "Now detach yourself from this moment. Go back to Mario's house. You just found out who you truly are."

 _Mr. L held his mask. He was tearing up. He turned to Mario with hated in his eyes. "Liar! You're just trying to trick me!" He shouted, even though he knew he wasn't lying._

"When you were in the clutches of the man who betrayed us."

 _Total loss of control. A massive head-ache. His arms flapping uncontrollably. "I AM MR. L!"_

He started shaking. Daisy held his hand. "I've got you."

Nastasia frowned. "If you want to stop..."

Mr. L squeezed Daisy's hand. He whispered, "Keep going."

She nodded. "Now even before that. You are Count Bleck's faithful servant again."

 _Oh, me? Just one of Count Bleck's more promising minions. The Green Thunder..._

Nastasia lead him through his past. With each memory, he grew more and more distant. Soon, he looked like he was ready to fall asleep. His grip on Daisy's hand was slipping.

"Mr. L? Are you still with me?" Nastasia asked.

"Yes." His voice was quiet and out of reach.

"Do you remember when I hypnotized Luigi for the first time?"

Mr. L nodded. "How could I forget?"

"What did you see?"

"It's just what I told you. Thunder."

"Okay. Was it a storm?"

He nodded again. Mr. L wasn't holding Daisy's hand anymore. He was lost, in his own world. In fact, he could have sworn he felt rain.

"I'm going to take you back even further now."

"Further? But...You've taken me to my first memory."

Nastasia shook her head. "Not quite. It took a couple of shocks to bring you out, remember? Now pretend that I just shocked you for the first time. Hold onto all of the pain. You'll need it."

Mr. L bit his lip. Blood dripped down his chin. It tasted like metal.

"Here comes the second time. What do you see? What do you hear?"

 _BOOM!_ The familiar sound reached his ears. He saw the green lightning flash. "Lighting...And thunder..."

"That's right. Thunder. Just a heads-up, it's a bit cold out there. But don't worry. You've got protection. Now open your eyes."

His silver eyes fluttered. Then they were wide open. Mr. L gasped, then looked around frantically. He was standing in the middle of a thunder storm.

* * *

Mr. L cried out and stumbled back. He slipped on his own feet and fell into the wet grass. The man in green cringed. Then he noticed something in front of him.

A lightning flash. _BOOM!_ There was a large seed in the middle of the clearing. Part of the seed was cracked. A giant plant was growing out of it. It was a tall green vine with two large leaves. A floro sprout.

Mr. L screamed. The headache. His body shaking. No. Not this again. "N-N-Nastasia!"

 _"Calm down, Mr. L. I'm here. Can you hear me?"_

He nodded. The man in green stood and looked around. She wasn't there. "W-Where are you?"

 _"I'm in the real world. You're shaking. Are you alright?"_

Mr. L nodded again, then remembered that she couldn't see him. "Y-Yeah. I-I'm calm." He ran a hand through his wet hair. "This is all in my head, right? So why does it feel so real?"

 _"You're just as real as anything in Luigi's head. More so, even."_

He wiped the mud off his pants. Then he noticed he was wearing a red raincoat. Mr. L blinked a few times. He glanced at his feet and noticed pink rain boots.

Mr. L blushed. He touched his neck and smiled when he felt his bandanna. He put a hand to his face and felt his mask. Mr. L let out a sigh of relief. "You weren't lying about that protection."

 _"Uh huh. I hope you like whatever you have."_

 _Oh, yes. I love the color pink._ Mr. L thought about making a snarky comment, but decided not to. It was better than nothing.

The Green Thunder glanced at the nightmare in front of him. "I see a huge floro sprout. That might be causing the split. What should I do?"

 _"Leave it,"_ She whispered.

"Are you sure?"

 _"There's no point in pulling at it. Even if you could rip it apart, it might cause serious damage to Luigi's mental state. It could make the split even worse."_

Mr. L turned away. "Alright. What do I do then?"

 _"Do you see him anywhere?"_

Mr. L shook his head. "No. I'll try looking around." He examined his surroundings. At first he couldn't see anything. Then his heart started pounding. The man in green turned to where he felt it most. It was toward the fog.

 _A_ nother lightning flash. There was a small green light in the distance. His eyes widened as an image came to mind.

 _Luigi stood all alone in the jade room. Tears were streaming down his face._

His eyes widened. The man in green stepped forward. He stretched his arm out.

 _"Mr. L?"_

"Luigi's over there..."

Nastasia was quiet. _"Then go get him."_

Mr. L nodded and reached into his raincoat. To his surprise, he pulled out an orange umbrella. There were yellow daises all over it. The Green Thunder held it over his head, then ran into the fog.

* * *

The closer he got to Luigi, the harder it was to move. The gentle rain turned into a downpour. Thunder and lightning became louder and brighter. Mud felt more like sludge. The neat grass became filled with tall weeds.

"Maybe I'm not supposed to meet Luigi..." Mr. L whispered.

 _"What makes you say that?"_ Nastasia asked.

Mr. L jumped. He almost forgot about Nastasia. After calming down, he replied, "This place is getting more wild by the second. I know I'm going the right way. I can feel it. But something is holding me back."

There were a few seconds of silence. No doubt Mario and the girls were exchanging looks.

Daisy spoke up. _"Oh! I think I know what it is!"_

Mr. L furrowed his brows. "What is it?"

 _"You told me that when Dimento planted that seed in Luigi's head, he also used dark magic to keep you two apart. Maybe some of that is left over."_

Mr. L thought of the floro sprout he saw earlier and shuddered. Yes, the leaves fell out of his head after Super Dimentio came undone. But had the jester's power over him ever gone away? "Hey, Mario? You went to the Underwhere in your travels, right?"

 _"Yes,"_ He answered. _"That was where I met up with Luigi again. Why?"_

"Remind him to go there after this so that we can kick his ass."

Everyone laughed at that. Even Nastasia was laughing a little.

 _"Count me in!"_ Daisy said.

Mr. L grinned. Luigi had good people in his life. He was going to miss them.

Soon, he came upon a forest. But the trees weren't filled with leaves. Instead, they were covered in orbs. The orbs varied in size. Some were giant while others were tiny. They were also different colors. Most of them were varying shades of green. A few were white and brown. A lot of them were blue and purple. Some of the orbs were special. They had the same color palette as the others, but the shade was darker. They also had electricity coursing through them.

"Nastasia? Do you know what these are?"

 _"What are you talking about?"_

He described the orbs to her. She thought about it. "I don't know. Why don't you check?"

He nodded and looked up at the trees. Some were infinite while others were tiny, just beginning to sprout. Mr. L walked towards one of the smaller trees. He skimmed through the orbs. Mr. L smiled when he spotted a green electric orb. He picked it up and examined it.

The orb was warm, like an electric blanket. It was made of a material that resembled glass. Mr. L closed his eyes and held the orb against his chest. It was so warm and comforting. This, unlike everything else he had been experiencing, was familiar.

Then something flashed before his eyes.

 _He was in a black tanktop and a pair of jeans. The tank top was covered in sweat while the jeans had rips and tears in it. His clothes were covered in mud. He was panting hard._

 _O'Chunks laid in a puddle of mud a few feet away. The filth covered his arms and kilt. "Ugh. I am pure done in! Yeh may have a bigger mouth than the others, but ya can put up a fight."_

 _Mr. L smiled. "You're not so bad yourself."_

 _The Scotsman stood and offered a hand. The man in green took it and stood up. The men panted._

 _O'Chunks looked up at him. "Yeh didn't mean what ya said back there, did ya? About us being juniors?"_

 _Mr. L laughed. "You guys are still thinking about that? Well, if I'm being honest, Mimi was right. I did get pretty spanked. That hero is tough, but not invincible. We've just got to try harder!"_

 _A new voice. "And so your failures fill you with determination, like a game that won't come out in at least eight years."_

 _They both jumped. A jester cloaked in purple and yellow was hovering right in front of them. Half of his face was white while the other was black. He had a mischievous smile on his face._

 _Mr. L frowned. "What are you talking about, Dimentio?"_

 _The jester grinned. "Oh, nothing. Lunch is ready."_

 _O'Chunks smiled. "Now yer speakin' meh language!"_

The moment ended. Mr. L was back in the forest with the electric orb in his hands. He screamed and dropped the orb. It landed in front of his feet.

Mr. L stepped back. Part of him wanted to get as far away from that thing as possible. The rest of him wanted it. He _craved_ it. His heart was racing. He was breathing hard.

 _"Calm down, L. Deep breaths._ _Did you find out what the orbs are?"_

He nodded. "They're...M-Memories..."

 _"Memories? You mean you saw something from the past?"_

"Yeah. I just failed my first mission. I was training with O'Chunks."

His eyes grew wide. Mr. L turned towards the other orbs. The ones that weren't electric. Those memories were...

Daisy's voice again. _"L?"_

Mr. L squeezed the handle of the umbrella. "I'm fine."

 _"Are you sure?"_

Mr. L nodded. "I'm sure. Don't worry. I'm almost done."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Where was Luigi now? Mr. L listened to the sound of the storm. The raindrops hitting his umbrella. The chilly air. He felt him up ahead, where the trees were taller and the grass was thicker. His heart pounded in his ears.

The Green Thunder kept going. The air became filled with a soft green fog. The grass was covered in dew. Long strands brushed against his calves. It was getting cooler. "I'm almost there. I can feel him."

It was true. Mr. L could actually feel Luigi's aura. It was an innocent one, full of kindness and love. Maybe fusing wouldn't be so bad.

That was when he came across the gate.

He stared up at it. The gate was much like the one needed to pass through Heaven. But this gate was green instead of gold. It was as comforting as shade under a summer tree.

Mr. L walked up to the gate and tried to open it. The gate wouldn't budge. "What?" He tried to pull it open again and got the same results. He groaned. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "What would Luigi do?"

Luigi would try to find what was causing the problem. He scanned the gate up and down. Then he went closer to the entrance. He squinted, searching for the tiny details. Then he found something. His eyes widened. "Uh...Nastasia? I think I ran into a bit of a road block."

 _"A road block? What is it?"_

"I found this gate and I'm pretty Luigi's on the other side, but...It's locked."

 _"Locked?"_

"Uh-huh. There's four locks, actually." He described the locks to them. One was red and had the black outline of a coin carved into it. Another was orange and decorated with daisies, just like his umbrella. The third one was a bright blue and covered in green tears. The last lock was an elegant purple with no designs.

Daisy's voice. _"Do you think it's more of his magic?"_

"I don't know. What should I do?"

 _"Have you tried climbing over the gate?"_

Mr. L looked up at the gate. It stretched into the sky as far as the eye could see. He gulped. "...I don't think that's a possibility."

Nastasia again. " _Well, if there's four locks, then there must be four keys too. Try looking for the keys. They have to be around there somewhere."_

Mr. L thought about it for a few seconds. Then his eyes widened. He felt overcome by a wave of dread.

He turned back towards the forest and sighed. "Shit..."

Peach's voice. _"What? What is it?"_

He turned away from the gate. "I know what I have to do. But it won't be easy."

 _"What do you have to do?"_

Mr. L grinned. "Oh, nothing much. Just a sad trip down memory lane."

The princess was quiet for a moment. Then she said, " _Please stay safe."_

Then Mario's cheerful voice rang through his ears. _"You've got this, little bro!"_

Mr. L smiled. "Uh...Thanks. Big bro."

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand. The Green Thunder closed his eyes. He could almost make out Daisy's sweet face. " _We'll be with you the whole time. We love you, L."_

He smiled. "Thanks, _amore._ I love you guys too."

Then he realized he was tearing up again. Mr. L wiped the tears away. Then he walked back to the forest. A thousand memories were waiting for him. Good, bad. He had to go through them and find those keys. This was the only way Luigi could have his life back.

* * *

 _I based the color of the memories on Inside Out. Don't judge me. Here's the key: Joy=Green, Sadness=Blue, Anger=White (based on Fire Luigi), Disgust=Brown, Fear=Purple. The electric memories are Mr. L's memories (or memories Luigi had under hypnosis) while the untainted ones are his own memories. Speaking of references...I'm sorry, but I had to do that Undertale reference._

 _So, every time I see Mario and Mr. L together, they always hate each other. And yeah, I can sorta see that. But when Mario figures out that "the Green Thunder" is really just his bro, I imagine he would try to get through to him and maybe work something out friendship wise. I mean, Mario is an all around good guy. He invites Bowser to racing and sporting events for Pete's sake! And in this fanfic, Mr. L regrets his previous actions, so he would agree to at least working something out. (The brother thing? Eh...A little iffy.)_ _Peach, on the other hand...She would need to see for herself that Mr. L has changed somewhat._

 _I am aware that I could've named this chapter Thunder and Lightning instead, but...I'm saving that title for another chapter. (Remember how Mr. L calls Luigi lightning?) ;)_

 _The 'Next Time' pieces from the other chapters were so off. I thought I would get to the content in the last three chapters earlier on. Lol. The second half of the 'Next Time' piece from Chapter 5 was talking about this chapter. And the one in Chapter 6 was mostly talking about Chapter 8. Don't worry though. They'll be accurate from here on out._

 _Next Time: Four keys, one man. Some keys will come easy. Others will make Mr. L question his entire existence. Is he really Luigi's mysterious alter? Or is he something else? Does he deserve Daisy's love or even Mario's friendship? What does Luigi himself think?_

 _-Colorful and Free_


	8. I Will Fix You

_I know it's a little late to update the summary, but the one I had only covered the first half of the story. Also, I_ _replaced the fanart that I had been using as a placeholder with my own crappy fanart. I tried. (My art blog is echo-in-the-mirror on tumblr if you're interested. I also have an ask/RP blog for both Luigi and Mr. L under the name ask-the-men-in-green on the same site.)_

 _Warning: More self-harm later on. Also, long chapter alert._

* * *

Leaving the gate was easier said than done. Every step away felt like an increasing weight on his shoulders.

 _"You're shaking again,"_ Nastasia said. _"Plus, your hand is twitching."_

Mr. L looked and saw that she was telling the truth. His right hand was shaking like crazy. He took the umbrella with his left hand, then shoved his right hand in his raincoat. "Don't worry about my body. I'm here, not there."

 _"Whatever you say, L. I'm just trying to help."_

"If you wanted to help, then you could've done something when I asked two years ago."

 _"Huh?"_

"You know what I'm talking about. Mario told me who I was, so I marched back here and asked if you could help me fuse with Luigi. But you said you couldn't."

 _"That's not how I remember it. If I recall, you barged in here and told me to tear that seed out of your head. You didn't say anything about fusing. Plus, without Dimentio's magic, it could result in death. You were practically begging me to help you end your game."_

"I didn't know what else to do! I had just learned that my entire existence was a lie. I just wanted to get away." The trees in the distance grew larger with every step. "But...You can't run from yourself. Can you?"

Nastasia hesitated. _"L...I'm sorry."_

He huffed. "This again? I get it. You're sorry for hypnotizing me. But I don't need your pity. You can dote over Luigi all you want, but I'm not fragile like him."

 _"I know. That's not what I meant."_

Mr. L approached the outskirts of the forest. He noticed tall trees with bright green orbs tucked inside of their branches. "Then what did you mean?"

 _"I'm sorry for what he did to you."_ The man in green froze. _"I wasn't awake to see it, but I know that he hurt you."_

"I don't want to talk about him."

 _"I just-"_

"Nastasia."

She sighed. _"You're right. This is no time to bring him up."_

Mr. L took a deep breath. "Sorry. That was harsh. It was just... _Really hard_ to leave the gate behind. Part of me wanted to fuse right then and there."

 _"It's alright. You're going through a lot right now, so let's work together on this. Okay?"_

He nodded. It was quiet after that. The only thing Mr. L could hear was the rain. He walked further into the forest until he reached a clearing. The Green Thunder took a deep breath, then closed his umbrella and put it back in his raincoat. He stared up at the sky, allowing the frigid rain to numb his face.

He turned to the trees and felt overwhelmed. This place held thousands, maybe even millions, of memories. Where was he supposed to start? However, he found his answer when he noticed a purple orb at the top of a tree. One second, the memory appeared to be normal. The next, electricity would burst inside of the orb and it would glow brighter than the others. This one had to contain the purple key at the very least.

"I'm going to grab another memory real quick. If I say or do anything weird, know it's just the memory talking." With that, he bent his knees and did his super jump, landing on a sturdy branch. He climbed the tree until he was standing on one of the tallest branches, which rocked under his weight.

He stretched his arm as far as he could, reaching for the memory. The man in green felt it with his fingertips. He stood on his tiptoes and pulled it down from the top. Mr. L smiled. "I got it! I got it, Nastasia!"

 _"You think it leads to a key?"_

He shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

Mr. L jumped back down and felt the orb. To his surprise, this one didn't induce the pleasure that the green memory gave him. Instead, wave after wave of terror and dread consumed him. He felt like he was going to get sick. As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew that he had to. For Luigi. Mr. L took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he woke to a nightmare.

* * *

He was standing in a room with Mario, Peach, and Bowser. Luigi was there too, right next to his brother. Even Timpani was there, in her pixel form. The Count and Nastasia were a few feet away. Count Bleck was tattered and beaten. As for Nastasia...Was she unconscious?

"What is this? I don't remember this at all!" Mr. L examined the room. Black walls. Several platforms. The meeting room. "I'm...At the castle?"

"What are you saying?" Timpani asked.

"I'm saying that you no longer have value to me, so I'm ending your games," A voice replied. Mr. L looked up and saw him floating above him. Dimentio. And the Chaos Heart. Mr. L could feel its power. It was beckoning him, calling his name. _Luigi, Luigi, Luigi..._

The jester looked around the room. His eyes landed on Luigi and his smile grew. "They're all yours, Mr. L."

His eyes widened. "What!?" Could Dimentio see him?

The magician snapped his fingers. Luigi's eyes widened. He stepped forward until he was right next to Mr. L. The second he stopped moving, he started flapping his arms. "Uh...Oh," Luigi muttered. He cried out in pain. "Why am I flapping my arms!? Oh, this...This isn't good!"

Suddenly, Mr. L understood what was happening. This was the nightmare that would wake Luigi in the middle of the night, screaming and in tears. This was what would lead to his self-inflicted scars. This was what would change Mr. L from a hypnotic state to Luigi's alternate personality.

Mr. L shook his head. "No."

Dimentio snapped his fingers again.

He stepped back. "P-Please, no..."

Luigi began to glow. Mr. L watched himself disappear. "PLEASE!"

He vanished. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in Luigi's place. He was screaming on the inside, but his mouth opened for him. "I AM MR. L!" He glanced up at the jester. "Master Dimentio? What is your bidding?"

He heard Peach's voice behind him. "W-When did this happen?"

"When I sent Luigi here, I planted a seed in the fertile soil of his unconscious...And now that seed has sprouted spectacularly!" Dimentio lifted the Chaos Heart. "Mr. L, run along now and get ready for your big entrance!"

Mr. L hated that he had to listen to Dimentio, but he had no choice. His actions and dialogue were prepared for him, like he was a character in a twisted play. He nodded obediently and walked past the Count and Nastasia.

"LUIGI, NO!" Mario cried.

He tried to run for him, but Peach grabbed his arm. "Mario, stop! We can't help him!"

Mario glared at his crush. "But this is Luigi! My brother, your friend! I can't just-"

"Now..." Dimentio interrupted. "Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the greatest magic show you'll ever see!"

The Chaos Heart rose to the surface. For a split second, a blinding light flashed throughout the room. As the energy of the Chaos Heart grew, Mr. L lifted into the air. He screamed, even though he felt no desire to. He felt himself being sucked away. Then everything turned to darkness.

 _..._

"I don't get it," He whispered.

He was standing in a dark room. It would have been pitch black if it weren't for the swirls of dim green light on the walls. Mr. L sat down and hugged his knees. It was hard to think straight. Part of him was out there, screeching nonsense and terrifying the others. It was just like before. Only this time...Something was missing. Mr. L couldn't say what it was, but he just knew.

 _If the purple key was in here all along, where is it? And how am I supposed to get it?_

He looked up at the walls. The light reminded him of the green memory with O'Chunks. That was before he knew who he once was. Before he started to see Mario as more than a persistent enemy. Before he met Daisy. Things were simple back then, but they were also worse. "Nastasia...I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I'm in a memory where I don't have control of myself. What am I supposed to do?"

Nothing.

"Nastasia, come on. Are you mad at me for snapping at you? I'm sorry. Just tell me what to do!"

"She can't hear you. No one can. You're in my domain now."

His eyes widened. Someone grabbed Mr. L's arm and forced him to stand up. The Green Thunder cried out. The next thing he knew, he was hugging someone. This touch chilled Mr. L to the bone and took his breath away.

"It's been too long. I've missed you. Have you missed me?"

Mr. L glared and pushed the figure away. It was just who he thought. The man in green clenched his fists. _"You."_

Dimentio's smile grew. "Hello, L."

* * *

Mr. L was sprawled on the couch in the living room. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, even though he had a smile on his face. Daisy held his hand.

Mario and Peach were sitting on another couch in the room. "What kind of things do you think he's seeing?" Peach asked. "I know that this is all in his head, so he's not in any real danger, but...I'm still worried about him."

Mario whispered back, "Well, I'm not sure what's going on either, but I know he can handle it!"

Peach saw Daisy wipe the the tears off of his cheeks. "I can't believe that I'm thinking of him as a friend now. I mean...He was our enemy."

"That's right. _Was_ our enemy. But things are different now. Besides, it's Luigi, remember?"

The two watched as Nastasia talked to their friend. It was strange because although he was speaking quietly, Nastasia heard him just fine and spoke at a normal volume. Finally, Mr. L said something at a higher volume, though he was still quiet. "I'm going to grab another memory real quick. If I say or do anything weird, know it's just the memory talking."

With that, he went quiet. He whispered things to himself, but no one could make them out. For a moment, it was silent. Then Mr. L squeezed Daisy's hand so hard that she winced. "L...You're hurting me!"

"No...P-Please no..."

"Lui-I mean, Mr. L?" Mario asked. "You okay?"

"PLEASE!" He shouted, surprising everyone. He moaned in pain.

Mario got off of the couch and ran to his brother. "Luigi!" He cried, forgetting to call him by his other name. He put his hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me. You're fine. Everything is just-"

"I AM MR. L!"

Mario backed away, startled. Nastasia spoke with shock in her voice. "What? L, what is going on!? You're starting to scare me!"

"Master Dimentio..." He whispered. "What is your bidding?"

Mario's eyes widened as the memories flashed through his eyes. _"Oh, mamma mia."_

The assistant ran a hand through her hair. "This is just a bad memory. That's all it is."

Mario shook his head. "No, it's worse than that! Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?"

Mario sighed. "That's right. You were unconscious. Well...Did anyone ever tell you about Super Dimentio?"

Nastasia's eyes widened. "Oh no."

Suddenly, the door burst open. Mimi stood in the doorway. "I heard screaming! What's happening!?" She saw her friend in tears and gasped. "Oh, Grambi!" She rushed to his side. "Gosh darn it, L! I told you that this was a stupid idea!"

"He thinks he's Super Dimentio again," Nastasia whispered.

Mimi's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "What!? Oh no. What do we do?"

The assistant turned to her friend. "Well, maybe if someone talks him through this, then..."

Just then, O'Chunks ran in. "I'm on it!"

Nastasia shook her head. "No, O'Chunks. That's really not-"

O'Chunks grabbed his friend by the shoulders and started shaking him. "WAKE UP, LADDIE! It's over, ya hear? Open yer eyes or I'll stuff a broccoli sandwich down yer throat!" That was when Mr. L started screaming. O'Chunks flinched, then his face hardened. "Oh, for the love of the Count!" He started slapping him across the face. "Open. Yer. Eyes!"

Mario came forward and tried to push O'Chunks away. "Stop it! You're hurting him!"

"Not now, Maria! I'm tryin' teh help meh chum!"

The man in red glared. "Excuse me, but I know what's best for my own brother!"

Nastasia came forward. "Both of you, cut it out! O'Chunks, put him down!"

Mario stepped back. O'Chunks put Mr. L back on the couch.

"Thank you," Nastasia said, returning to her normal tone. "Now, as you can see, we've lost contact with Mr. L. I didn't anticipate this, but there's nothing we can do about it. Right now, we just need to have his back. Alright?"

The others murmured in agreement. Daisy spoke quietly so only Nastasia could hear. "Wait. Don't you think there are too many people are in here? It might overwhelm Luigi when he wakes up," She said, remembering what the receptionist told her during the hospital visit.

"No, I think he needs them here," She replied. "They're his friends too, you know. Plus, he was bluffing when he said that he wouldn't come back. Trust me."

Daisy thought for a moment. She knew that Luigi losing his memories as Mr. L was a possibility and she didn't know how he felt about these guys. But if Nastasia thought it was best, then maybe having them around was worth a little awkwardness. Daisy nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

Dimentio gave a rare frown. "That's the first thing you say? Hmm. And here I thought we were friends."

"We are _not_ friends. And we are certainly not lovers, so don't even try with that crap! Not after what you did to me..."

"What _I_ did?" He burst out laughing. "You're confused, Mr. L. It was _Nastasia_ who made you the way you are, not me. I simply brought you out of Luigi's unconscious. Weren't you listening to me?"

"I'm not talking about that! You...You _used_ me! You forced me to fuse with you and made me into what I am now! Why!? Do you enjoy making my life a living hell!?"

Dimentio frowned. "Of course not. I did what I had to do to get the perfect world you desired so much. Haven't you figured out that the Count was lying to you?"

"Don't bring him into this! He had his reasons..."

Dimentio stroked his chin. "I suppose you're right. All those worlds for one puny girl."

The man in green glared. "You still haven't answered my question. What the fuck are you doing here? You should be rotting in the River Twygz!"

The jester sighed. "Yes, I should probably explain that. Here, let me pull you a chair."

He snapped his fingers. Two purple chairs appeared out of thin air. A burst of purple magic surrounded Mr. L, lifting him into the air, before gently putting him on a chair. He frowned and crossed his arms.

Dimentio sat on the other chair. "So, you think I should be dead. Well, you're right. The real Dimentio _is_ dead. However, when our brilliant fusion came undone, a small part of him chose to stay with you in order to survive. It's a minuscule part, less than one-sixteenth, but it's enough to appear real to you."

"Really? Well, if that's the case, then why are you still...? Mr. L stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened as he came to a realization. He stood abruptly from his chair. "Hey! Wait a minute! I don't have to talk to you! I should be finding those keys right now! You're just here to stall me, aren't you?"

Dimentio shook his head. "Quite the contrary, Mr. L. I actually want to help you."

"Help me? How could you possibly help me!?"

"Oh, I don't know." He pulled something out from behind his back. "Does this make any difference?"

Mr. L gasped. The purple key! He reached for it, but Dimentio pulled it away. He wagged a finger at him like he was a child who needed lecturing. "Ah ah ah! It's not going to be that easy." The jester opened his mouth and swallowed the key whole.

"Ugh! Sick!"

Dimentio floated from his chair. He pointed his index finger up, making little circles in the air. Next, he pointed straight ahead and a burst of magic shot out from his finger. Mr. L cried out and covered his head. When he turned, there was a gaping hole in this memory. The hole had endless green inside.

The magician went straight for the void. At the last second, he turned back. "How about a game of tag? If you can catch me, I'll give you the key that I have. I'll even help you find those other keys. _Ciao!_ " With that, he plunged into the hole.

Mr. L glared. "Oh no! You're not getting away that easily!"

Without thinking, he ran after him into the hole.

* * *

For a few seconds, everything was shrouded in darkness. The next thing he knew, light suddenly poured in from all directions. Mr. L rubbed his eyes, then looked around. He was now standing in an elegant ballroom. People in lovely dresses and suits were dancing. He heard an orchestra playing from somewhere across the room.

The man in green rubbed his head. "Why did he send me here?" His eyes widened. His voice...Why did he sound like he had a cold? Mr. L cleared his throat.

That was when he noticed something purple in the corner of his eye. Mr. L turned just in time to see Dimentio floating into the crowd. He scowled. "HEY! GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!"

Mr. L gasped and covered his mouth. His voice cracked. It hadn't cracked since...Well, ever! At least, not that he could remember. He felt his cheeks grow hot. He looked at his hands and noticed that they were smaller now. He was also dressed in a black tuxedo.

The Green Thunder skimmed the room, desperate for a mirror. Then spotted one on the other side of the room. It was hanging above a small desk with a vase full of daises. Of course, he wasn't sure whether or not he would be able to see himself, but he had to try. Mr. L walked across the room. He didn't have to worry about getting past people because he phased right through them, as if he was a Boo.

At first, Mr. L walked to the mirror without hesitation. When he saw his reflection, he screamed and backed away. He started hyperventilating. Already, he missed Nastasia's calm voice.

Mr. L took a long breath, then walked back to the mirror. He forced himself to stare at his reflection, no matter how weird it felt. He was a teenage boy, 17 at most. His mustache hadn't grown in yet; instead, tiny hairs were sprouting in their place. His brown hair was combed neatly.

Mr. L bit his lip. Even after finding out about Luigi, he wondered what his childhood was like. It took him a lot of courage to ask Mario one day. The red plumber was awkward about it, but agreed to show him some photos. Right now, he looked exactly like the teenage Luigi that Mario showed him. The only indicators that reassured him that this was, in fact, him were the cowlick on the left side of his head and his own silver eyes.

He gulped and tried to laugh this off. "Heh. So, this is what I would look like as a teenager. Weird."

Suddenly, something in his brain switched on. Mr. L turned back to the dance floor. The orchestra was playing a new song and people were talking to each other casually. For some reason, Mr. L felt the need to go into the crowd. Maybe it was his intuition, leading him to Dimentio. Whatever it was, he had to listen to it while he still had the chance.

The man in green, or rather the boy in green, went into the crowd. His heartbeat sped up with every step. As Mr. L went past a couple who were laughing, his energy faded. He spotted another teenage boy and gasped. This boy was a carbon copy of Mr. L at the moment, save for his bright blue eyes. The Green Thunder sighed and rubbed his temples. "Of course," He muttered bitterly.

Luigi was talking with another boy. His tuxedo was black with a green bow tie. The boy he was talking to was dressed in a similar fashion, except his hair was a mess and he wore a red bow tie instead. He also had thin hairs on his upper lip that would grow into a mustache one day. That must have been Mario.

That was when a girl their age appeared. She had long blonde hair that trailed down her back and a gold crown on top of her head. She wore a strapless pink dress with ruffles. Her sapphire eyes gleamed. "Mario! Luigi!"

Mario turned and smiled. "Peach!"

Peach curtsied. "Hi! Sorry that I'm a little late. I took a nap earlier in the afternoon, thinking it would only be for half an hour or so. Instead, I was asleep for three hours! So my ladies had to hurry to get me ready. I hope I don't look like a mess."

"A mess? You look amazing! It's so nice to see you, Peach!" Mario frowned as he remembered something. He looked off to the side. "I mean, um...Princess Peach."

Peach giggled. "It's okay to call me Peach. Never mind what Toadsworth says. After all, you did rescue me." Her eyes wandered over to her crush's brother. "Along with your brother of course." Suddenly, she had a mischievous look in her eyes. "Speaking of which...Do you two mind coming with me for a bit? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Mario grinned, energized at the thought of meeting someone new. "Not at all! Come on, Luigi!"

"Uh...Okay," Luigi muttered. He followed Mario and Peach. Naturally, Mr. L followed. He was drawn to Luigi, like a moth towards a light.

Peach lead them to a girl wearing a yellow dress. She had her back turned and was filling her cup with punch. The princess tapped the other girl's shoulder. Mr. L knew who it was before he saw her face. Now, there was no denying it. She had the same sapphire eyes, button nose, and smile. She even parted her hair the same way. The only major difference was that her curly hair reached her waist.

"Hiya, Peach!" Daisy greeted. The two gave each other hugs. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Peach smiled sheepishly. "Of course I am. No one can keep me locked up forever."

The girls laughed. Mario chuckled. "It's true. She may look sweet, but she's full of sass."

Just then, Daisy noticed the Mario brothers. "Who are your friends, Peach?"

"Daisy, this is Mario and Luigi," Peach replied. "They're the ones who rescued me from Prince Bowser. Boys, this is my cousin, Daisy. She's the Princess of Sarasaland."

Mr. L smirked. " _Prince_ Bowser, huh? So the butterball wasn't even king yet."

Mario waved. "Hello there, Princess Daisy! It's nice to meet you!"

Daisy curtsied. "It's nice to meet you as well. Thank you both so much for saving my cousin. So, where are you from? I don't think I've ever seen you two around here before!"

"Brooklyn," The older twin replied.

She raised an eyebrow. "Brooklyn?"

"New York. You know, America? Don't tell me you've never heard of it!"

Daisy shook her head. "Nope. Can't say that I have."

"They're from another dimension," Peach explained.

Daisy gasped. "Another dimension!? Wow! That's so cool!"

Luigi smiled. "You really think so?"

Just then, the music changed from an upbeat melody to a proper waltz. The four looked around and noticed people starting to dance. "I believe it's time for the traditional waltz," Peach explained.

Luigi nodded. "Ah, I see."

Mario took Peach's hand. "I call Peach!" He grabbed her hand and led her away in a rush.

The boy in green gasped. "Mario, wait!"

He was about to chase after them when Daisy grabbed his hand. Luigi turned to her. The princess smiled. "They're not worth all the fuss. May I have this dance, Luigi?"

The plumber bit his lip, then nodded. He took Daisy's hand and led her to the dance floor. Luigi bowed while Daisy curtsied. He put his hand on her waist and grabbed her other hand. He smiled, then did a slow waltz with her, leading her across the floor. Their movements were slow and graceful. The two came apart briefly so he could spin her around, but she was back with him in an instant.

Mr. L blinked a few times. He figured that Luigi would be clumsy and awkward, but he was actually doing well. Why was that?

As if on cue, Daisy said, "Hey, you're doing pretty good."

"Thanks! My _mamma mia_ made me and my brother take lessons. She didn't want us staring at the TV like most kids our age. I'm glad it's finally paid off. Um...Do you know what televisions are?"

"Duh! We have those here."

The two talked throughout the remainder of the dance. When the music stopped, everyone clapped for the orchestra. Luigi started to do the same, then Daisy tapped his shoulder. "Come with me," She whispered. With that, she ran off. Luigi stared at her, taken back, before following.

Mr. L started to follow, then stopped. "Wait a minute. I'm supposed to be looking for Dimentio! Why am I watching this?" He looked around and saw people talking once more. Where was he supposed to find him? Several people were here and it was so noisy. This wouldn't be so difficult if he could ask around, but that was a luxury that he had lost. Letting out a sigh of resignation, he followed Luigi and Daisy outside.

The princess lead Luigi to the balcony and let go of his hand. He looked around, confused. "Why did you want to take me up here?"

She smiled and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's quieter. I figured we'd be able to hear each other better if we were alone." She turned to the balcony. "Plus...This place has an amazing view."

Luigi turned to the balcony. Mr. L joined his side and peered over the edge. He looked down and noticed a beautiful garden at the bottom. There were all different kinds of flowers and well-tended bushes. The trees were cut into different shapes, like animals. He even saw one that was meant to look like Princess Peach. There was also a fountain in the middle of the garden.

Luigi and Mr. L sighed dreamily at the same moment. The Green Thunder eyed his other self. "Yeah..." Luigi said. "It is a really pretty view."

With that, the two continued with their everyday talk. Mr. L learned things about Luigi that not even he knew. Apparently, at the time of this memory, Mario and Luigi had been in this dimension for a year. They worked as plumbers so they could have something to do until they returned home. They still had every intention of finding a way back, but only to see their family again. According to Luigi, life was better in the Mushroom Kingdom.

After he finished his story, Daisy whispered, "Hey, Luigi? Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

The princess pulled out a glittering orange key. Mr. L gasped and rubbed his eyes. When he looked again, the key was a plain silver one. He thought that he saw rust at the bottom edge. "There's an even better view of the garden from the roof," Daisy said. "You want to go there with me?"

Luigi gasped. "The roof!? B-But...What if one of us falls? What if you get hurt!? I can't stand the thought of that, Daisy! If that happens, we'll have to end the party and call the ambulance and-"

The princess burst out laughing. "Relax! Nobody's gonna get hurt! Anyway, come on! Unless you want to be stuck at that stuffy party."

Luigi looked inside and smiled. "Okay, you win."

They went back in, but instead of going to the dance floor, Daisy lead Luigi upstairs. Mr. L stared at them, amazed at their chemistry. He stroked his chin. "Luigi told me that they'd only been together for a few months, but that was in the hospital. Seeing as we were released three months ago, that means that they've only been together for half a year. Why did it take so long?"

"I'm confused about that as well. After all, it only took us a number of weeks."

Mr. L jumped. Dimentio was right beside him. The magician laughed and poked his former friend's nose. "You're even more adorable as an adolescent. Too bad it's only temporary." Dimentio created another hole in reality and vanished inside. The void reminded him of an endless gray fog.

Mr. L growled and was about to follow when he saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned and noticed the orange key on the balcony. He examined the key and noticed that it had daisies all over it.

Of course the orange key had something to do with Daisy. The key was covered in her namesake, for Grambi's sake! Plus, even though he hadn't known her for long, he already liked her. Mr. L strapped the key to the back of his belt, then hopped into the hole after Dimentio.

* * *

 _SMASH!_ The sound echoed in his head. After waiting a few seconds, he took his hands off of his ears. Mr. L looked around and realized he was in Luigi's room. Except his room was usually kept neat. Right now, it was a sharp contrast to how Luigi liked it. Blankets were thrown aside and the sheets on the bed were disheveled. Items on the shelf were knocked over. Some pictures on the wall were crooked while others were on the ground, glass frames shattered.

Mr. L also noticed another figure in the room. The other man kicked a trash can, sending all the garbage spilling onto the floor. Next, he turned to the dresser and knocked everything off of it. The man wore a white t-shirt and jeans, but it was obvious that it was Luigi. This was after he met Daisy; he was an adult in this memory. But what happened? And worse...Why was Mr. L feeling his rage? He took a deep breath. "Keep it together..."

Just then, someone opened the door. Luigi jerked in that direction, picture frame in hand. However, the second he saw the other person's face, he froze. It was Mario. The two stared at each other in an intense silence before Luigi frowned and dropped the picture. _CRASH!_

Mr. L cringed at the sound, then looked down at the picture. It was a portrait of Mario and Luigi as children. Mario was giving Luigi bunny ears and smiling. Luigi was laughing, eyes closed and mouth wide open. It wasn't the most flattering picture, but at the same time, it was perfect. It captured the joyful moment.

Mr. L looked up at Mario. The man in red was staring down at the picture with wide eyes. When he looked back up at his brother, his eyes hardened.

"What do you want?" Luigi asked. His tone was colder than anything Mr. L had ever heard from his other self.

Mario cringed. "Luigi, please..."

"I'm not Luigi! How many times do I have to tell you?"

Mr. L felt his eyes grow wide. "What!?" He searched for the telltale sign and found it; the other man had silver eyes. "You're... _me_? This doesn't make any sense!" Why wasn't he in his past self's body?

Mario frowned. "You're right. You're not. But I'm not about to let you wreck my brother's room just because you're upset!"

" _Upset!?_ You think I'm doing this because I'm upset!? Upset doesn't even _begin_ to describe how I feel! Do you know what I'm going through!?" Mario was silent. "Of course you don't," Mr. L spat. "You're Mr. Perfect! Mr. I-gotta-save-the-princess'-ass-because-she-can't-fend-for-herself!"

Mario growled. "Say what you want about me, but you leave Peach out of this!"

"Fine! I don't give a shit about her anyway. But you..." Mr. L clenched his fists. He was silent, trying to think of a clever comeback. It was easy to think of insults when he was calm. When he was angry, it was a different story. Finally, he settled for, "You just don't understand!"

"I would if you would just tell me!"

The man in green shook his head. "No. You wouldn't even then." The room was quiet. The atmosphere was more intense than anything Mr. L had ever felt.

His past self went on, "My whole life is a lie. I'm nothing! Worse, I thought that the Count actually cared for me! But I never mattered. None of us did. He was going to let me and the others die! Just because Ms. Butterfly abandoned him, he felt the need to ruin all worlds and end our games!" He grew louder and louder with each word, to the point where he was shouting. Tears were gathering in his eyes, but he didn't bother wiping them.

"And Nastasia...She knew about all of this. She knew about _me_ , but she kept quiet! Do you know how much that hurts!? She was like my big sister! But I don't even have a sister! Only some fatass who claims he knows what he's doing when really, he doesn't know _anything_!"

Mario clenched his fists. "You take that back, you arrogant, know-it-all, loudmouth! At least you _have_ a brother! Or would you rather play with rusty buckets of bolts that I could destroy without even trying!?"

The present Mr. L was taken back. Memories flashed of him with Brobot. Talking to him softly in Italian. Beaming at Brobot L-Type when he was finished. Seeing him in pieces. Because of Mario. Red shocks burst through his hands, then traveled up his arms. Just then, he phased into his past self's body. He felt the rage of that memory consume him.

Mr. L growled and ran across the room, pouncing on Mario. The latter fell to the ground. The two of them traded punches with one another. Mr. L pulled at Mario's cowlick. He let out a cry of pain and kicked Mr. L in the chest. The Green Thunder cried out. He landed on the hard wooden floor. Mario got on top of Mr. L, knees on his hands. For a moment, the man in green was blind with rage. Then he noticed Dimentio behind Mario, examining a red key.

"Get off of me."

"No!"

"I SAID GET OFF!"

"No! Now would you shut your mouth for just one second!? I want to talk to my brother!"

Mr. L glared. On the inside, he felt helpless. For a moment, he forgot that this had already happened. He felt like he was in control.

"Luigi…" Mario whispered. He forced a smile. "Do you remember that one time when we were little and we went to the park with Mama and Papa? We got ice cream, except Papa mixed our favorite flavors up. He gave me the vanilla and you the chocolate." He laughed. "You didn't want to upset Papa, so you were about to lick the chocolate anyway. And then I whined until he switched the cones. Remember?"

"I don't remember anything from back then."

"I DIDN'T ASK YOU!"

Mr. L flinched. He didn't remember making Mario this angry. Somehow, he forgot about this. Either that, or he did such a good job suppressing the memory that it didn't come easily anymore.

Mario sighed. "Sorry, Luigi. That was rude."

Mr. L frowned. This was why he hated talking to Mario. It was already awkward enough, but Mario made it worse by only seeing him as Luigi. Sometimes, it wasn't even that. Sometimes, the man in red looked at him in fear, like he was some kind of demon trying to take control of his baby brother's body.

"Do you remember when we went to save Peach for the first time? You were too scared to jump off this little cliff, so I held your hand and went with you. And on the other side...You were laughing so hard. You said you were scared for no reason. And you were...You always were..."

Just then, Mario broke. He started crying into Mr. L's chest. The man in green felt all of the rage inside of him fade away. He wanted to comfort him. He wanted to pretend that he was Luigi like he did in the hospital and tell him that everything would be okay.

"I don't know who you are," Mario muttered, talking to Mr. L now. "But please...Just let Luigi go. He's all I have in this world." He sobbed quietly. "Luigi, please don't go..."

The Green Thunder saw the red sparks and knew what was coming. He closed his eyes and phased out of his body. Mr. L watched from a distance as the past Luigi woke up. He opened his eyes. "M-Mario?"

The hero looked up. "Luigi?"

Luigi looked around. "What happened? Why is everything a mess?"

Mario let out a sigh of relief and held Luigi close. "Don't ever leave me again."

Luigi frowned. "He came out again, didn't he?

Mario was silent. Luigi took a deep breath, then hugged his older twin.

Mr. L closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He noticed a red glow among the pile of broken glass. The red key. He picked it up and strapped it to the back of his belt, right next to the orange key. Next, he glanced at the bright blue void. He was supposed to be surprised that it was there, but it wasn't. Instead, he walked into it, feeling numb.

* * *

The next thing Mr. L knew, he found himself in a small bathroom. It only took him a few seconds to realize where he was. "I know this place. This is Luigi's bathroom! I wonder if I'm any closer to the present..."

Just then, Luigi walked in. Mr. L knew there was something off about him the moment he saw him. Instead of wearing bright colors, he wore a long-sleeved gray shirt and dark blue jeans. His eyes were nervous and apprehensive. At least he looked the right age.

Luigi walked up to the sink and stared at his reflection. "Mario said it wouldn't work," He muttered. "But there's no harm in trying."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he smiled at his reflection. "Hey. Um...Mr. L, was it? It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Luigi. Apparently, you're me, but just a different side. At least, that's what my bro told me." He laughed. "I would offer my hand for a handshake, but you know."

Mr. L furrowed his brows. "Lightning's trying to talk to me? That's weird." Even though he had known about Luigi for so long, he never tried to speak to him while he was still in control. The closest he ever came to doing so was his letters. Why was Luigi trying?

"I bet you're wondering why I'm trying to talk to you. Well, I visited an old friend of mine today. His name is Professor Elvin Gadd. He's a brilliant scientist. You see, a long time ago, I thought I won this mansion, but it was really a trap, and-" Luigi stopped mid-sentence. He laughed and shook his head. "That's a story for another day."

"Anyway, I asked him if he could help me go back to being one person, but he said he couldn't. Well, that's not exactly true. He said that he could invent some kind of machine to get rid of the floro seed in my head, which would get rid of you. But it would be very dangerous to try that, so I guess we're stuck with each other."

It was quiet for a few seconds. Luigi chewed his bottom lip. "I figured if we have to stay together, we might as well learn to live with one another. So, do you mind telling me about yourself? Mario says you used to serve that evil count who tried to end all worlds. I mean, I can't see myself doing that...But you're supposed to be me, right?"

Silence. Mr. L tilted his head to the side. "Does he expect me to answer?"

Luigi laughed, only this time, his laughter didn't sound joyful. "I'm talking to my reflection. I must look really stupid right now. Or crazy. But then again...You are different from me in a lot of ways. We're practically opposites. So, it's sort of like talking to someone else. Right?"

The next silence was long and uncomfortable. Mr. L decided to answer his question, even though he couldn't hear him. "Well...I guess so," He replied with a shrug. "Though many people would consider it talking to yourself, I prefer to think of it that way. It makes things...Easier, I suppose."

Luigi frowned. "Mr. L, please talk to me. I want to figure this out. I want to work with you. I-I..." He stared down at the floor.

Mr. L sighed. "Luigi..."

Luigi groaned. "Fine! Don't talk to me! See if I care!"

With that, he left the room and went into the bedroom. He started pacing around the room. "Why did I even try with him? It's not like he would want to talk to me! Then again, why should I want to either!? He almost..."

For a moment, he froze. Luigi stared into space with a pained look on his face. Then he shook his head and went back to pacing. "What does the world have against me!? Why does everything bad always happen to me!? I'm just trying my best!" He took shallow breaths, then rushed into the bathroom. He came back with a lime green razor. Luigi sat on the bed and pulled up his right sleeve. His arm had five scars already. He placed the razor on his skin, took a deep breath, and...

Oh no.

"Wait! LUIGI!" Mr. L shouted. He ran to him, trying to stop him from what he was about to do. Luigi drove the razor across his arm. The blade did nothing. He groaned and did it again until he drew blood. Mr. L tried to pull his hand away, but he went right through his other self. No matter how much he shouted at him, his efforts were fruitless. He watched helplessly as Luigi made ten new scars.

At first, he seemed relieved. He sat back and took a deep breath. Then tears rushed down his face. He didn't even try to hold back them back. "I-I don't want this," He whispered. "I don't want another me. I want to be normal!" Sobs racked his body. "Why can't I be normal!?"

Mr. L felt a rush of guilt. Luigi was hurting because of him. "Oh, Luigi..." He whispered. He walked up to his other self and patted his head. "I'll make you normal again. I promise."

Suddenly, Mr. L felt a pair of eyes on him. "Aw. How sweet."

He turned and glared at Dimentio. "Enjoying the show, asshole?"

"That's the best you can do? Oh come on. At least give me some kind of demeaning nickname. I so enjoyed you referring to the hero as 'Mr. Jumps-all-the-time."

The Green Thunder rolled his eyes. "You're not worth the effort."

"I'm not? That hurts my feelings. Oh well. That doesn't matter. At least I get to watch you dote over Luigi, like a crowd of women over a newborn infant."

The man in green frowned. He didn't look at Dimentio when he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean. You try not to be obvious about it, but it's clear that you care for him. It's as if he's your best friend now. Or maybe he's more like a kicked puppy, and you're the one who kicked him. So you're getting on your hands and knees, trying to make it up to him. But can't you see? It's pointless! Nothing you do will fix him."

Mr. L snarled. "Why do you care so much? This has nothing to do with you! Go back to whatever sick place you came from!"

"I live in your mind now, L. There's no getting rid of me." He paused to stroke his chin. "Hmm...Or should I call you Luigi?"

Mr. L stared at the ground. Technically, Luigi was his real name, but it still felt weird to be called that. "Why are you doing this? Are you trying to torture me? Or do you just not want me to see him? I know you're the reason the gate exists."

"You're so clever, L. That's one of the things I missed about you." He grabbed his hand and put the key in it. Then he put Mr. L's fingers over the key, closing his hand. "This one here is your third key. Come with me if you want the last one. I'll explain more there." With that, Dimentio disappeared. Mr. L thought he saw the black outline of a square as his former friend was leaving.

The man in green sighed and looked at the key. Just like the lock on the gate, the blue key was covered in green tears. Luigi's tears.

Suddenly, he saw the black outline of a square again. Only this time, it was surrounding him. Mr. L closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had seen this before. It was in the World of Nothing, right after his last service for Count Bleck. This was the last thing he saw before scorching flames and screams took over. He glanced at Luigi, who was still crying, and squeezed the key tight. "He's wrong. I _will_ fix you."

With that, he disappeared.

* * *

 _Fun Fact: This chapter was over 12,000 words before I trimmed it down._

 _I'm just gonna stop saying that this story will end at a certain point, because I thought these ideas would be short, but they turned out to be a lot longer than expected. I'll also stop doing the 'next time' pieces because they're usually inaccurate, but I'll go back and fix them after this is done. I added that bit of dialogue for Mario during the Super Dimentio scene because...Well, why would you just stand there in silence while your brother helps the enemy against this own will? Also, if you're wondering why I changed headcanons about Lmentio...Thunder Storm. That's why._

 _This chapter was even harder to write than Chapter 6, but I'm proud of myself for getting this done._ _See, I usually make these stories up as I go because I hate outlines. Somewhere in the middle of writing a story, I get writer's block and the whole story seems stupid. So, I drop an author's note explaining that I'm going on hiatus, then quit writing. Did I do that here? No! I pushed through it and to be honest, I'm so glad I did that. I feel like I've grown as a writer, at least a little bit._

 _I'm sorry these take awhile to be released. I have to manage high school and two major fanfictions. I also need to work on my original novel sooner or later. But I'm finishing this story. Promise._

 _-Colorful and Free_


	9. An Easy Way Out

Luigi wasn't sure what to think. He always thought that things were fine between him and Daisy. He couldn't imagine her falling for someone else. But she had. And now he wasn't sure what to do.

He had been thinking about it ever since he woke up in this room, which Nastasia described as his "mindscape." Luigi realized with dread that this was the same place he ended up when Dimentio forced Mr. L awake. In fact, this was where he appeared whenever Mr. L took control of their body. Sometimes, he remembered his experience in what he liked to call "the jade room." Sometimes, he didn't. He didn't know if Mr. L experienced the same thing; he never asked.

What he did know was that Mr. L loved Daisy. He felt it when he first woke up inside of Brobot. His cheeks were hot and his heart was racing. At first, Luigi wasn't sure why he felt these things. During dinner that evening, he realized it was how Mr. L felt whenever he was with Daisy. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. Heck, he even admitted it once. _I told her that I don't love her, but part of me wants to._

It was strange to think that Mr. L would have the same taste in women as Luigi, but he accepted it. He didn't think it would cause any harm and Daisy didn't seem to like him anyway. If he recalled, they didn't get along well at the restaurant.

That was why Daisy loving Mr. L back came as an even bigger surprise. Luigi didn't know where this came from, but he didn't like it. It was like she was in love with someone else. And if she and Mr. L were to have a relationship, Luigi would be doing things with her that he wouldn't even remember. The idea made him feel queasy.

But at the same time...

Isn't this what he wanted? After hearing Tippi's story, he admired Count Bleck for treating her like the human girl that she was on the inside. Luigi wanted Daisy to always love him, even if he was acting like someone else. That didn't mean that Daisy had to fall in love with that other persona...Did she?

Luigi groaned. "This is so confusing!" He ran his hands through his thick brown hair. Tears were gathering in his eyes. Sometimes, when he felt overwhelmed, Luigi would start crying. It was what earned him the nickname "Cry baby" with some of the meaner toads at home. "Daisy, why are you doing this to me?"

Then a strange feeling overtook him. His vision became even more blurry. His head started hurting. Luigi cringed. "What's happening? Am I waking back up?"

After waiting for a few seconds, Luigi shook his head. The room grew dark when he started to wake up. The lighting of the room hadn't changed. Suddenly, something flashed before his eyes.

 _A man in a red raincoat was standing in the middle of a thunder storm._

Luigi's eyes widened. He gasped and looked around. Nothing. He bit his lip, listening hard for any sound that indicated a storm. Silence. The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Luigi kept crying. The plumber wiped his eyes off. "Maybe I'm just imagining things," He whispered. He forced a smile. "Heck, I might be going crazy."

Then something even stranger happened. Luigi felt his left hand start to twitch. He turned. There was some kind of force beckoning him outside, like a magnet. Luigi took a deep breath. "Yep. Definitely crazy."

* * *

Mr. L returned to the memory of their fusion, only this time, Dimentio spared him the pain of those past events. The magician was already sitting in his chair. "Enjoying my little game of tag, Mr. L?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh yes. I just _love_ chasing after you! I'm having the time of my life!"

Dimentio sighed. "No need for sarcasm, darling. You know, we've been in this scenario before. Remember?"

Mr. L crossed his arms. "Afraid not. Mind filling me in?"

"Ah, yes. I remember. The end of the world, of all worlds...You and your brother had me cornered in the castle. I ran through dimensions to buy some time and when I came back, you and I fought like two screeching fiddles, demanding the attention of the audience. I believe that was when I planted the floro seed in your head."

The man in green sighed. "You're talking about when I was Luigi. I don't remember that."

"Of course. I forgot about your little...Predicament. It's a shame that you don't share memories."

"It is," Mr. L agreed, "But that's not going to be a problem after I'm done here." He walked up to Dimentio and tapped his shoulder. "Tag. You're it. Now hand that key over! I don't have time to sit around and chat."

Dimentio chuckled. "Well, that's unfortunate. If you want this key, you'll have to listen. I want to talk to you about something."

Mr. L glared. "That wasn't the deal! You said if I catch you, you'll give me the key!"

"Well, that deal has expired. Come now, I've already led you through the memories where the other keys reside. The least you can do is listen to me now."

"Oh yeah? Well, you didn't have to do that, now did you?"

"You also don't have to be doing this, but here you are." Mr. L sighed. He had a point. He sat in the other chair, crossing his arms. The magician grinned. "Now, before I tell you why I'm here, let's talk about you. I know why _you're_ here. You want to fuse with Luigi. But haven't you thought of what that means for you?"

"Of course I have," He replied. He hesitated before adding, "I would cease to exist."

"Now why are you doing this if you know the result will be something so dreadful?"

"Because..." Mr. L started, then remembered who he was talking to. He crossed his arms and looked away. "I don't have to tell you anything."

Dimentio sighed. He floated from his chair and touched the other man's face. Mr. L grew tense, but said nothing. "Did our fusing really hurt you that much, darling? You used to tell me everything and now you're so stiff around me. It's like you don't trust me."

"Don't call me 'darling.' And why should I trust you?"

"Because I have a preposition for you. I think you might like it. Will you at least hear me out?"

The Green Thunder sighed. It wasn't like he had a choice. "Fine. What is it?"

Dimentio took his hands. "Stay with me. Here."

His eyes widened. Mr. L backed away from Dimentio. "What!?"

"You heard me. It will just be the two of us. Of course...We don't have to stay in this room all day. I can take you through our best moments together. I can hold you close, just like we used to do."

He shook his head. "Y-You're crazy! I don't need you!"

"True, but I need you. You must understand things from my point of view. I'm dying, L!"

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean, 'dying?'"

"It's just like I told you. I'm only a small piece of Dimentio's soul. However, I don't have much significance in Luigi's mind. As far as he's concerned, I'm just another obstacle in his brother's way." He narrowed his eyes and stared directly into Mr. L's silver orbs. "A memory needs power in a person's mind for it to persist. Without that power, it will fade into nothing. The tiny fraction of the man you once loved will die with the rest of him. That's why I created the gate and brought you here."

Mr. L narrowed his eyes. "Really? And why do you think I would want to stay with you? You're my worst mistake."

"Because I'm the only one who knows you and loves who you are."

"Are you now? I may be wrong, but I don't think this is how partners treat each other. Besides, I have Daisy now."

Dimentio frowned. "Oh, so you're not play-acting. You actually think that girl loves you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Princess Daisy is only trying to support her boyfriend."

Dimentio lifted his hand and created two magic silhouettes. One was a man surrounded by green. The other was a girl with an orange aura. They bowed and curtsied, then wrapped their arms around one another, leaning in for a kiss. Mr. L stared, entranced. He remembered the two of them as teenagers, dancing and laughing with one another.

"Being the dedicated partner she is, she's willing to overlook this new persona in order for her relationship to work. However…"

Dimentio created a third silhouette. This one was obviously Mr. L. It had the bandanna and edges of the mask. The silhouette strolled confidently up to the couple. The Daisy silhouette saw it and ran to it. As the new couple kissed, the Luigi silhouette sadly lowered its head.

"I don't think Luigi will be too happy with her, falling for another man."

Mr. L looked down. "You don't get it. Luigi and I are the same man. She's only doing what any normal person would do in this situation."

"That's not how Luigi sees it."

He thought back to their small argument in his bedroom. Mr. L was awake during that moment, seeing and hearing everything but unable to respond. As soon as Luigi buried his face in the pillow, Mr. L took control just to make Daisy feel better. Love and lust took over from there. What if Luigi was awake during that moment as well? What if he decided to leave Daisy over this?

"Don't even get me started on that brother of yours. Or should I even call him that?"

Mr. L glared. "I see. You're bringing Daisy down, so you might as well do the same to my brother. Well, it's not going to work!"

"Why are you even defending him? Mario wouldn't go the extra mile for you. He hates you."

Mr. L stepped back, intimidated by this new tone. The Dimentio that he knew was carefree and liked having fun. This one was so blunt and forward. It was unsettling, to say the least. "What makes you so sure?"

"Much like Daisy, he's waiting for his true brother to come forward. I can't say I blame him though. You did try to end his game."

He remembered the two of them in a warm embrace. It all felt so genuine...But how could he be sure? "I…" Mr. L shook his head, trying to avoid these feelings. "What about the Count!? His minions? They're my friends, my family!"

"Are you sure about that? Can you be certain that they love you for who you are, or what they've made you into?"

Mr. L frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Is this really what you want, Luigi?" Dimentio said, getting closer. "To have your deepest feelings exposed in front of everyone? For everyone to fall in love with the persona they've created for you? To help an allegiance of villains end all worlds?"

He felt a rush of guilt. When he spoke next, he tried to sound intimidating, but failed miserably. "You wanted all worlds to end too."

"To create a better world. Count Bleck just wanted to destroy everything and leave them ruined. I told you this when you were Luigi, I believe. It looks like you needed a reminder."

Mr. L stared at the ground and clenched his fists. He was shaking, but for once, it wasn't out of anger. Ever since he woke up again, he wanted love and acceptance. That was why he was so loud and boastful back then. That was why he made himself out to be the best when really, he felt like the worst. Attention. He didn't just want it. He craved it, needed it so badly that it hurt.

He tried to think of someone, anyone, who might have cared for him as he was. Then an interesting thought came up. It was strange, but it was his last shot. "What about...Luigi?"

"Luigi? You mean your other self?" Dimentio grinned. "That's the worst part, I think." He sighed. "I didn't want to have to do this, Mr. L. But you leave me with no choice."

He twirled his finger, making circles in the air, before shooting it past him. The magic exploded, then began to manifest into something else. It took the form of a human being. When the magic faded, Luigi stood in its place. He was in a navy blue tuxedo with a green bow tie. Blood was dripping down his sleeves, covering his hands. He stared at Mr. L with lifeless eyes.

Mr. L stared with shock and horror. "L-Luigi!?"

Luigi frowned. "I hate you."

"What?"

Luigi clenched his fists. He stepped forward. "You always ruin everything! You think you're so cool, but you're not! I wish you would just go away!"

Mr. L stepped back a few feet. Dimentio was standing right behind him. The man in green turned, surprised. The jester had a dark grin on his face. "See, Mr. L? Even Luigi doesn't care for you. I'm the only one who truly understands."

The Green Thunder glared. "You're insane. Sadistic! That can't be real..." And for a split second, he saw Luigi holding a razor and drawing blood, those same words echoing in his head. He paused. "...Or is it?"

He fell back into his chair. Dimentio appeared in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. He'll wake up after this, good as new. You won't have to give up your life or pretend anymore. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Mr. L stared at Dimentio with defeat. "You...You hurt me."

Dimentio caressed his cheek. "I know. And I regret it every day. You may not believe me when I say this, but I never stopped loving you."

With that, the magician leaned forward and kissed Mr. L on the mouth.

* * *

After breaking down, Mr. L was silent. He quickly returned to his calm, motionless state. Everyone was watching him, waiting for him to break down again.

Mimi looked to Nastasia. "Hey, why isn't the Count here?"

"I don't know. I assume that he and Timpani want to respect his wishes."

Mario turned to her. "You think he's okay?"

Without looking at him, Nastasia replied, "I hope so."

"Well, 'tis is crakin'! " O'Chunks said. "Now that the dobber is in the picture, 'tis won't be easy fer 'im."

"Was Mr. L ever close to Dimentio?" Peach asked.

Mimi nodded. "Uh-huh. Really close. I think some part of Dimentio really cared, but...It just wasn't enough. He still hurt L really bad. You see, they used to..." She turned to Nastasia. "Nassy, can I tell them?"

Peach looked back and forth between them. "Tell us what?"

Nastasia sighed. "There's no point in keeping it a secret." She turned to Mario, Peach, and Daisy. "You should know that Mr. L and Dimentio weren't just friends back then. They were...Together."

"What!?" The three shouted.

"They were gay for each other," Mimi clarified.

"We got that part," Peach whispered.

"My bro likes men!? Hmm..." Mario stroked his chin. "Actually, that makes a lot of sense."

"Yes. Mr. L is bisexual. I don't know if the same applies to Luigi," Nastasia replied. "Anyway, the relationship only lasted for a short period of time. It's possible Dimentio was just feigning so he could get to the Chaos Heart, but we'll never really know. You see, we kept a lot from L so he would remain loyal to our cause. We had to. Otherwise...Well, I hope you understand."

Mario's look hardened. "Go on."

"So, Dimentio promised him answers in exchange for...How do I put this? Acts of love."

Daisy grew uncomfortable as a thought came to her. "Did he ever try to...?"

Nastasia shook her head. The princess let out a sigh of relief.

"Mr. L went to me after Dimentio supposedly confessed," Mimi explained. "He was really confused at first, but then he started to get into it. They would kiss and stuff, even in full view of everyone. Something made them break it off, but they never told me what it was or who ended it. Either way, L took it really hard. He would lock himself in his room and just...Lay there. Then he forced himself to work on his robot and shut everything else out. He had trouble accepting it all."

"The forced fusion thing doesn't make it any easier," Nastasia added.

"Oh..." Daisy whispered.

"So, that's the story," O'Chunks finished. "I hope yeh know how come our laddie is so sensitive about him."

"It makes more sense," Mario said. "And thank you. For standing by him in all of this."

"Of course! L is our friend!" Mimi said. "Sure, he acts weird sometimes, but we still love him."

Mario stared at the floor. "It's just that...I used to treat him so badly. I was so scared he would hurt Luigi, but now I know that Mr. L is a part of him, and that makes him my brother. Not only that, but Luigi was the one hurting himself...On purpose!" He glanced at Mr. L. "I don't blame him if he hates me."

Peach held his hand. "Don't beat yourself up about it. We were all a little shocked when he came back. And about the cutting."

Mario looked to the Count's minions. "How did you guys accept this so easily?"

O'Chunks grinned. "Yeh think we just got used to 'tis?" He shook his head. "No, Maria. It took us a long while."

Mario grinned. "Actually, it's Mario."

"That's whit I said!"

"I remember the first time your brother came over," Nastasia began. "He dressed up in his old clothing so we would recognize him, so naturally we thought he was Mr. L. We started hugging him and talking to him as if he really was the man we knew. All of it flew over his head. When he left, he gave us the clothing back and told us to trash it."

Mimi giggled. "You should've seen his face! He looked so confused!"

Everyone had a good laugh. "That sounds like my bro! What did you tell him?" Mario asked.

Her smile faltered. "Just...That we missed him and we were all glad to see him." She looked at his dormant form. "Now that he's really leaving us this time, I'm gonna miss him even more!"

"We all are," Nastasia agreed. "But don't forget what the Count said. This is what he wants. I want you both to support him 1000 percent, 'kay?"

Mimi and O'Chunks nodded sadly. Mario looked between them. They may have been his enemies once upon a time, but they treated him nicely now and felt shame for their previous actions. Not to mention that they loved his brother. Maybe that was why he felt genuinely sorry for them. He wasn't the religious type, but Mario made a prayer to Grambi right then.

 _"Please let him remember them."_

* * *

At first, Mr. L was repulsed by the kiss. He wanted to push him away and wipe his taste off his mouth. Then, memories came of the two of them together. Mr. L thought of the love they once had for one another. That was all before he had the slightest hint of betrayal on Dimentio's part. That was before Super Dimentio.

When Dimentio pulled away, he stared at his former love with warm, kind eyes. Mr. L stared back at him, confused on how to feel or what to think. Daisy was still in the back of his mind, but so was her demand for him to choose only one personality. Dimentio hadn't done that.

"Be honest. Don't you miss me? At least a little bit?"

"Of course I do. Part of me still does, but...How much of that was the truth, and how much of it was just for the Chaos Heart?"

"The Chaos Heart is dead, Mr. L. The Purity Heart's power canceled it out. You are all I want right now."

"You said you love me for who I am...Do you love Luigi too?"

Dimentio thought it over. "Hmm. Hard to say. I've never really gotten to know you that well."

For the first time since seeing him, Mr. L let his guard down. He laughed. "So...What kind of memories were you talking about?"

"Don't you want the purple key?"

Mr. L shook his head. "No, I want you. I missed this."

Dimentio grabbed his hands. It was at this moment that Mr. L realized he was dressed in his black jumpsuit and other accessories again. Good. It suited him far better than red and pink anyway.

"I missed this too. You know, it's a good thing you chose this. The purple key? It's the only thing keeping me alive right now."

Mr. L grinned. "Sure it is."

"No, really." He touched his chest and it lit up with a purple key-shaped glow. "This key represents the time we spent together. All the good memories we have."

The man in green frowned and looked to the side. "So, that orange key is my memories with Daisy...Or Luigi's memories, rather."

Dimentio sighed. "Mr. L, will you please stop referring to Luigi as if he's someone else entirely? Walking around in denial...It doesn't suit you."

With that, Dimentio grabbed Mr. L at the knees and picked him up. He kissed him again, and this time, the man in green accepted it and kissed him back. For a moment, he forget about the girl in the orange dress that he fell in love with. He forgot about all that pretending he had to do with Mario. He forgot about the Castle Bleck residents. And he forgot about the green shadow standing in the corner.

That is, he forgot for a few moments.

 _"What do yeh think he's dreamin' about?"_

 _"I don't know. He looks happy."_

The man in green cringed. "Mimi, O'Chunks..."

 _"I think you jinxed it, Mimi,"_ Nastasia muttered.

 _"Shut up!"_ She snapped.

"What is it, darling?" Dimentio asked.

"T-The voices…"

Dimentio frowned a little. "Just ignore them. They don't matter anymore."

The magician leaned in to kiss the man in green some more, but Mr. L pushed him away. "C-Can I talk to them?"

"Why would you need to do that?"

"I need to say goodbye to them! They're my family!"

Dimentio sighed. _I should've known my magic wouldn't last this long. I'm weak in this state._ He put him back down on his own two feet. "Alright. Just don't take too long."

The man in green smiled gratefully. "Thank you." He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. He tried his best to picture his friends with him. "Wow. You really are a couple of juniors. Didn't I tell you to stay in the back?"

 _"L!?"_ Mimi cried.

Mr. L smirked. "Yes, Arachne?"

 _"Oh Grambi. What were you doing this whole time? We've all been worried sick!"_

His smile faltered. "You've been worried about me?"

 _"Of course!"_

 _"We wanted teh keep our word, lad,"_ O'Chunks chimed in. _"We pure did, but you were wailin'. We couldn't listen tae it. We had teh help."_

"I appreciate that very much, but you don't need to worry anymore. We'll be just fine."

 _"Who's we?"_ Daisy asked.

Mr. L opened his mouth to speak, then turned to Dimentio. "Can I tell them?"

The jester shrugged. "You might as well."

"Dimentio has found me in this mess." He hesitated before adding, "We'll be fine. I'm going to be safe with him."

Mimi spoke with fear in her voice. _"L...I-I don't like this."_

"Mimi, it's fine. Really. Luigi will wake up and everything will return to normal. And...I'm sure he'll come visit you from time to time. Like I once said in a tacky restaurant, I can't control everything he does."

Suddenly, Daisy spoke up. _"Idiot. You're doing that again? Why are you trusting him? Do you even know what he is?"_

Mr. L frowned. Dimentio crept beside him and murmured into his ear, "I would never scold you that way, my dear Mr. L."

"It doesn't matter! At least I know that he loves me, and not Luigi."

 _"Are you serious!?"_

 _"Daisy, stop,"_ Nastasia interrupted. _"This isn't helping. Mr. L, would you please quit throwing a fit and tell us what's going on?"_

The man in green glared. "Oh, you're one to talk, Nastasia!" Mr. L spat. "All that time...You told me I just wandered in there and wanted to serve the Count! And whenever I got close to finding out the truth, you'd pull me in the other direction! I saw those koopas burning newspapers and shredding any article with the slightest mention of Luigi! And you have the fucking nerve to ask me to tell you what's going on!?"

Nastasia was quiet. Mr. L took a deep breath. "It's been great to see you all again. This week has been a nice, mind-numbing experience." He turned to face Dimentio and began to walk towards him.

 _"Mr. L, please listen to me."_

The man in green froze. Was that the Count?

 _"Everything Nastasia did was for me,"_ He continued. _"She kept your true self from you in my name. If there's anyone you should be angry at, it's me. Don't take your rage out on her."_

 _"Besides, that's all in the past,"_ Timpani added. _"Doesn't this moment, what we have right now, matter more than anything that happened then?"_

 _"She's right, bro,"_ Mario chimed in. _"Please just tell us what's going on. We want to help you through this!"_

"He hates you," Luigi whispered. "They all hate you."

Mr. L sighed. "Mario, be honest. Are you really here for me or for him?"

 _"It always comes right back to that with you."_

"That's how it was with you for years. Do you remember when we saw each other in the hospital? Do you want to know how I've gotten so good at impersonating him? It's because I've always had to pretend with you. Half the time in the house, when you thought you were talking to Luigi, you were talking to me."

 _"Oh, bro..."_ Mario murmured. _"I-I'm sorry..."_

Mr. L shook his head. "No, you don't have to be. It's over. Soon, he'll wake up and things will be normal again."

 _"You're wrong,"_ Nastasia interrupted. _"L, if you do this, Luigi might never wake up."_

Mr. L frowned. "What are you talking about?"

 _"I put Luigi in a state of rest so that you could have an easy time reaching him. You can't just choose to stay in that state of mind. Either you leave now or you finish what you started. You can't expect your loved ones to just wait for you!"_

He groaned. "Why does this have to be so difficult!?"

 _"It doesn't have to be,"_ Daisy muttered. _"You're making it difficult."_

"What!?"

 _"You're always asking whether or not we want Luigi or Mr. L...Why can't we just want both? These two personalities inside of you...I love both of them very much! And the rest of us do too."_

"She's lying, darling," Dimentio said smoothly.

The Green Thunder turned, a look of betrayal and anger in his eyes. "You...You said he would wake up after all this!"

"Alright, I lied. But what's so bad about Luigi being asleep? That's how you've been. You existed even before Nastasia worked her magic on you. You've been inside of him, dormant and just waiting for a chance to come out. What's wrong with a little role reversal?"

Mr. L blinked a few times. "Uh..."

 _"L...Whatever Dimentio is saying to you now, it's not true."_

"W-Why are you being so nice to me?" Mr. L looked to Luigi, who was still staring at him with blank, lifeless eyes. "I ruined your relationship with Luigi. He was crushing on you for so long, but then I came and ruined everything! I-I made him cut..."

 _"No, you didn't!"_ Daisy interrupted. _"Get that thought out of your head!"_

"If I hadn't come out that night, then he never would've cut!"

 _"So, maybe he wouldn't do that night. But something else could've very well made him snap and he would've done it alone! Luigi would've died if Mario and Peach weren't there!"_

"All the more reason for me to go with Dimentio now. I've already done enough damage. Isn't this better for us?"

 _"Didn't you hear me earlier? You didn't damage anything, Mr. L-"_

"I'm not Mr. L!" He interrupted. "I'm not Luigi either; I don't know who I am!"

Everything was silent for a few moments. All he could hear was his own panting and the deprecating whispers from the shadow in the corner.

And then, Daisy said, _"I do."_

Mr. L looked up, as if Daisy might be in the ceiling. He listened hard to her echoing voice.

 _"Luigi, Mr. L...Whoever you are right now...Listen," She began. "From the moment we met that night, that beautiful night, I knew you were the one for me. Maybe I didn't realize it then, but you were always there. You were there every mother's day with a bouquet of yellow roses to visit my mother's grave with me. You showed me the streets of New York, even though you can't even remember what they look like now. And you were there in the hospital bed with fresh scars all over you."_

 _"I almost lost you over something as stupid as this. Just because you act a different sometimes doesn't change how I feel about you. Nothing could ever change that. And even if you forget the roller coaster of emotions you've made me feel these past few months...And how much the people in this room adore you...Both Luigi and Mr. L...I just want you to know that I'll always be here."_

Mr. L was speechless. Daisy had so much love for both Luigi and himself. How could he have ever doubted her? "Daisy..." He whispered. "I..."

He felt her give him a kiss on the forehead. _"Ti amo."_

He burst out laughing. She pronounced the second word 'ammo', like what a soldier would fill his rifle with. "Your Italian is terrible. I love you too, darling."

 _"You can beat this, honey. I believe in you."_

"I hate you. I hate you so much," The shadow that looked like Luigi muttered.

Mr. L turned to it. He narrowed his eyes. "You're not real." He jerked towards Dimentio. "And neither are you!"

He rushed across the room. Dimentio frowned and made a magic wall in between them. The man in green simply punched it and it shattered. He kept running towards him, venom in his eyes.

Dimentio made green fireballs and launched it towards him. Mr. L dodged most of them, but one collided against his chest. It was filled with both flame and electricity. The shock burst through him, sending his whole body in pain. The man in green screamed bloody murder, then crashed. His weak form twitched with green shocks.

The jester sighed and floated towards him. "Why couldn't we make this easy, Mr. L? I do love you, you know. I didn't want to hurt you, but you made me do it."

He moved forward until he was right next to Mr. L. He grabbed him by the bandanna and made him look into his eyes. Mr. L stared with devoted fear. Then he smiled.

The next thing he knew, Dimentio felt a tearing sensation in his chest. His eyes widened. He fell down, unable to float, and coughed up black blood. He felt his chest bleed out the dark substance.

Mr. L stood with the purple key in hand. He looked down at him with cold, silver eyes.

Dimentio grinned sadistically. "Well, it looks got what you wanted."

"It's time for you to take your final bow, Dimentio."

"Now, that's just cruel. Stealing my line in my final hours?" He coughed up more blood, then began to disintegrate. It started with his hands and feet, then spread up to the rest of his body. His smile returned. "You really are something else. I hope that you and the princess of Sarasaland are very happy together."

Mr. L narrowed his eyes. "See you in the Underwhere, old friend."

Dimentio smiled even more. "The Underwhere? No, Mr. L. You're dreaming too high. I'll still be with you, even after all this. Only now, I'll live in your nightmares."

* * *

The next thing he knew, he was back in the forest of memories. He looked down at himself and realized he was in his red raincoat again. Mr. L stared at his hand, wondering if what he just witnessed was even real. He found proof in the form of a glowing purple key. "I did it. I beat him..."

 _"See? I knew you could do it,"_ Daisy said.

Mr. L grinned. "Yeah..." His vision was getting blurry.

 _"Alright, now that we have all four keys, I believe it's time to see him,"_ Nastasia said.

 _"Are you ready for this, Mr. L?"_ Count Bleck asked.

He laughed. "Please, I've been ready since the moment I showed up at your door."

The man in green took out his umbrella and opened it. It spread apart like a flower in bloom. Mr. L held it over his head, then began making his way towards the green gate. His vision got more blurry as he walked.

 _"L, I know you said not to worry about your body, but..."_ Nastasia began.

Mr. L stopped. He sighed. "I'm crying, aren't I?"

 _"Mmm-hmm."_

The Green Thunder sighed, then wiped his cheeks. "In front of everybody? Fantastic."

Mario whispered, _"You know it's okay to not be okay, right?"_

The man in green took a deep breath. "No. I'm not going to be weepie in front of your brother. I'm the stronger half, after all."

 _"Keep telling yourself that, bro."_

Mr. L smiled. "It's still strange, hearing someone call me that. And the thought of actually _being_ someone's brother is even weirder."

 _"You still haven't gotten used to it, in all this time?"_

"Well, I mean, I never really had to until now. I always of thought of you as, 'Luigi's brother.' And now..." He took a deep breath. "When I first emerged, I was no one. And then in an instant, I was Mr. L. I had a clear objective in front of me and friends to help me make that happen. But at the same time, I was missing something. Not only my own memories, but I also needed a family to fight for and call my own."

"Sometimes, I wondered what they were like. My true family. But the funniest part is..." He looked down at his red raincoat. "...They were with me the whole time. Not only was I staring my own twin brother in the face, but you all..." He said, referring to the Count and his minions. "You are my family too."

 _"L..."_ Mimi whispered.

He smiled. "And for someone who has no real purpose in life, it's been pretty good. I mean, I've met the love of my life. I've helped people who needed me, although it wasn't for the best cause. And..." He sighed. "Screw it. I love you all and I'm going to miss you." Then he smirked. "And I know you'll miss the Green Thunder as well, so no need to say it aloud."

 _"L, you idiot..."_ Daisy whispered. _"Tell Luigi to be grateful for his life. It's precious, and now, it's coming at a high cost."_

"I'll be sure to mention it. Until then..." He saw the green gate in the distance. Mr. L grinned and put down his umbrella. Closing it, he whispered, "I'll see you all very soon. L-ater!"

In another world, Daisy hugged the man she loved and buried her face in his sweater. _"Yeah...Later, you idiot."_

Then everything was quiet. Mr. L strolled up to the gate. He pulled all four keys out from his belt. One by one, he used each key for its corresponding lock. One by one, the locks broke. Before he put in the blue key, Mr. L took a deep breath. "Here we go." Then he put the key in. The lock broke.

The Green Thunder closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then gave the gate a careful shove. The gate opened. There was a bright green light waiting ahead of him. Mr. L pressed onward.

The man in green entered a familiar room. The tall weeds and overgrown grass were replaced with clean tile. Mr. L could hear his footsteps echo in this strange room. The walls and floors seemed to stretch on for eternity. The room had a calm aura. Despite the fact that he had never been here before, it was familiar.

Soon, he came across a figure in the distance. Mr. L froze. His heart skipped a beat. Was that...?

The closer he got to the figure, the more certain he was. The figure was a man who wore a long-sleeved green shirt and blue overalls. He also wore brown boots and a green cap with an L on the front of it. He had thick brown hair underneath that cap.

Mr. L stopped and smirked. "Hey, Luigi."

* * *

 _This has been another hard chapter to write. I'm still happy with it though. For some reason, I really liked the idea of Mr. L traveling through Luigi's memories, but I didn't have a reason for him to do so in the beginning. That's where the gate came from. After all, Dimentio isn't the type to make things easy for his enemies. Plus, I liked the idea of Mr. L and Dimentio seeing one another, after so much build-up about their previous relationship._

 _Anyway, I'm going to include a Next Time piece because I'm certain of what the next couple of chapters will look like._

 _Next Time: Thunder and lightning. Even though the storm is settling, it still continues on. Luigi and Mr. L meet face to face in a fragile jade room. But is it really the first time? And will Luigi choose to fuse back into one?_

 _-Colorful and Free_


	10. Thunder and Lightning

Luigi turned around. His eyes grew wide. Standing behind him, dressed in black and green, was none other than Mr. L himself. He had his arms crossed in a confident position and he wore a smirk. "I never thought we would meet this way," He began. "Then again, I never thought we would meet period. Oh well. Better now than never, hmm?"

Luigi stared without saying a word. Mr. L raised an eyebrow. "Uh...Lightning? Are you gonna say anything? Or are you just gonna stand there and stare at me?"

He gasped. _Lightning._ That was his new nickname for him. He once called him that in a letter. When Luigi asked about it, he wrote back, _"Lightning always comes before thunder. It's like you and me."_

The plumber walked up to the other man. He took a deep breath and slowly stuck out his index finger. He poked him, then gasped and stepped back a few feet. He certainly felt real.

The mechanic was now even more confused. "Uh...What are you doing?"

Luigi hesitated before asking, "A-Are you real?"

Mr. L grinned and laughed. "Of course I'm real! What? Did you think I was imaginary or something?"

Luigi furrowed his brows. "But if you're here, then...Who's in charge of our body?"

Mr. L said calmly, "No one."

"WHAT!? B-But how is that even possible?"

"I had a little help from some friends."

Luigi paused as he remembered something. "Wait. I thought I saw a man in a red raincoat. Was that you?"

Mr. L's eyes widened. "You saw me? No way! I saw you in here!" He said, pointing. With a worried look on his face, he added, "You were crying."

Luigi turned away. He didn't want anyone to see that. Then again, he didn't think anyone would be able to. "I cry all the time. Don't worry about it."

There was a moment of awkward silence. They never thought they would meet, so it was strange to see each other face to face. Not only that, but this brought talking to yourself to a whole new level.

"So...Um..." Luigi went on, "I'm flattered you would go through all this trouble to come and see me, but...Why are you here, anyway?"

"I'm here to fix this mess."

"What do you mean?"

Mr. L looked at Luigi seriously. "I want to go back to being one person."

"What? For real?" Luigi asked with shock. Mr. L nodded. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes, but I'll need your cooperation to do so."

Luigi frowned. "But what happens to you if we do this?"

"Isn't it obvious? I would go back to being a part of you. I would disappear."

Luigi stepped back. "What!?"

Mr. L frowned. "What did you think I came here to do, catch up with the others?"

"I-I thought we were just asking Nastasia how to control it. I didn't think you were asking to die!"

"I'm not asking to die," Mr. L replied. "I'll still be around, but in a subconscious way. Think of it like this: I'm not giving up my entire existence, just my self-awareness. The Green Thunder won't strike again...But at least you'll have your life back."

"How can you be so okay with this? You're still giving up your life! W-When did you even come up with this!?"

Mr. L smiled sheepishly. "I may or may not have taken you over when we were talking with Nastasia during dinner."

"Well, you should've at least talked to me about it before coming here! You can't just decide to up and leave!" The plumber looked down and lowered his voice. "You're strong and charismatic and confident...You're everything I'm not."

Mr. L sighed. Why was he the only one that understood this? "Luigi...I _am_ you."

"But...I need you. I know Mario and the others are trying their best, but no one knows me like you do."

The mechanic shook his head. "Lightning, I'm not the help you're looking for. I've never helped you. If anything, I've dug you even deeper into the hole you're in."

Luigi smiled. "So, you don't remember?"

Mr. L tilted his head slightly. "Remember what?"

"This isn't the first time we've met."

"What?"

"I've only met you face to face once before," Luigi continued. "It was when we were Super Dimentio."

Mr. L gasped. He shouldn't have been surprised; talking to Luigi like this was easy. It was almost _too_ easy, like he had done it before. But still...

"The nightmare always stopped when we fused," Luigi began. "But there's another part I've suppressed throughout the years. Now I remember." He closed his eyes, lost in a memory. "After Dimentio made me fuse with the Chaos Heart, I woke up in a dark room. I was scared, so I started crying like I always do. And then you came in. You said something like, 'Did he trap you here too?' and when I looked up, you freaked out. I guess you saw the resemblance between us. I asked if you were okay and you said..."

"What are you doing here, in my head?" Mr. L finished quietly. "And why do you look so much like me?"

Luigi opened his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, that's right! You remember now?"

"That's the dream I had last night! My dreams always involve you."

"Really?"

Mr. L nodded. "Uh-huh. See, I believe we have some sort of connection, most likely because we're the same person and all. Even before I found out the truth, I was drawn to you. Of course, everyone would pull me away, but I'd always want to know more." His face grew dark and stormy. "It's why I almost let Dimentio have his way with me. It's why I felt the need to come and see you. Even on the other side of our mindscape, I felt you nearby and I wanted to fuse again."

Luigi blinked a few times. "You want to fuse?"

"Yes, that's right. I don't think I'm supposed to be my own person. I was just the by-product of this giant mess."

The plumber frowned. "Don't say that. You have people who love you more than anything. The Count, Nastasia, the spider girl, that big Scottish guy…"

"I've already thought about that," The mechanic replied. "You see, when we fuse, we're bound to share memories from then on."

"But...What if I forget being you?"

Mr. L's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that. He sighed. "Then...You'll just have to start over with them. They may slip up sometimes, but please be patient with them. They were my family when I didn't know who I was."

Luigi said quietly, "What about Daisy? You know she loves you back, right?"

Mr. L smiled sadly. "Yeah. That's why I want you to take good care of her."

Luigi narrowed his eyes. "I don't get it. Why are you willing to go this far for me?"

Mr. L shrugged. "Well, this is your body, isn't it?

Luigi shook his head. "There has to be a bigger reason than that. You aren't like me. You don't hurt yourself or want to die. You love yourself! Why would you give up your life just to help someone like me?"

The Green Thunder sighed. "You're right. I do love myself. But what's the point if I'm constantly hurting you just by being alive? What kind of purpose do I have? You have a brother and a job and a girlfriend. The whole kingdom depends on you! What's gonna happen if I die? I'll tell you what: nothing. I have no reason to stay."

"That's not true. I've forgotten most of what happened, but you've carried the weight of all of it." His eyes widened slightly. He thought of something that might make him listen to reason. "You've seen the rest of my mindscape, haven't you? There's more out there, right?"

Mr. L nodded. "Right."

Luigi hesitated before asking, "...Is the floro seed still there?"

"Yes. Where are you going with this?"

"I've been thinking about how you exist after so long. You aren't exactly like a normal alter. Nastasia mentioned the idea of misdiagnosis to me, but that might not be entirely the case. We know that the seed has to do with you still being around. What if I was so overwhelmed with the past that part of me split off to handle all it while the rest of me tried to live on as normal?"

Mr. L raised an eyebrow. "You're suggesting that I'm here to help you deal with the pain?"

Luigi shrugged. "It's possible. If so, then my emotions could be feeding the seed! I mean, if it was like a normal floro sprout, wouldn't it have disintegrated by now?"

"I guess it's possible. After all, this wouldn't be the first time Dimentio toyed with my emotions. It must have been his final act."

"Right. But why would he want you to stay?"

The Green Thunder shrugged. "To mess with you psychologically, I presume. Plus...He claimed that he was in love with me or something," He muttered under his breath, "Such bullshit."

Luigi smiled. "So, mystery solved! I'm glad we got that squared anyway, huh?"

Mr. L was quiet. He stared at the ground. Luigi tilted his head. "Hmm? Mr. L, are you okay?"

"All this time, I thought I was such a burden on you," He whispered. A small smile graced his lips. "But for me to learn that I had a purpose all along, and one that helps you grow..." He looked up at Luigi. "It brings me peace."

Luigi grinned. "See? You have a reason to stay..."

The mechanic shook his head. "You don't need me anymore. You continually underestimate yourself, Luigi, but you're filled with so much unused potential. The Ancients chose you to be the fourth hero of Light for a reason."

He felt himself frown. "But why was I the ideal host of the Chaos Heart? I may be a coward sometimes, but...I-I'm not evil."

"For the same reason, except if Dimentio had his way, all of our untapped potential would go towards destroying everything. It's a good thing your brother was there for us. Just don't rely on him too much, okay? He may be five minutes older, but he's not always going to be there to protect you."

The plumber nodded. "I know. Are you really sure you want to do this?"

Without missing a beat, Mr. L replied, "Yes."

"And...Are you sure you won't regret doing so?"

"Nah. I don't think so. I belong with you, Luigi. I always have."

Luigi smiled and offered his hand. "Then it's been...Interesting to have you here, Mr. L."

The Green Thunder stared at his hand. "Hmm. I've heard better goodbyes, but I guess I'll take it." He shook his hand firmly, then gave him a hug. Luigi's eyes widened. His other self whispered, "Go out and live a happy life for the both of us, okay? One, because I don't want to die in a tiny bathroom alone, and two, because the Green Thunder deserves better. _You_ deserve better. Promise me, Luigi?"

Luigi nodded. He felt himself start to tear up. He sniffled and whispered back, "I promise…"

Mr. L grinned. "That's all I needed to hear." With that, he ran his hand along his chest, then started to pull something out. Mr. L pushed Luigi away and yanked a white orb out of himself. He cringed, but then forced a smile.

Luigi's eyes widened. "M-Mr. L, what is that?"

"Goodbye, Luigi."

With that, he let go of the white orb. The light in his eyes faded until they were blank and lifeless, then he began to disintegrate. Luigi gasped and rushed towards him. The second he grabbed Mr. L's hand, he faded into nothing. The only thing that was left of him was the white orb. Luigi turned and stared at it, entranced by its ethereal light. He hesitated before touching the orb.

Just then, everything fell apart. The walls of the jade room shattered and Luigi was left standing in a raging thunder storm. _BOOM!_ A loud rumble of thunder. Luigi jumped and rushed towards the orb. The rain soaked his hair and clothes, but he held on to it tight, protecting it with his own life.

As the last flash of green lightning went off, Luigi heard another deafening crackle. That was when he felt a burning sensation in his chest. Luigi cried out in pain, then realized that the white orb was no longer with him. Before he could search for it, he was struck by a rush of memories. Screams of pain. Laughing with a renegade band of villains. Love and lust with a demented jester. Confusion and fear hidden behind a well-crafted mask of confidence and blind devotion. These were only some of the things that Luigi remembered.

Then it was over. Luigi blinked a few times. He looked around and noticed that he was standing in the same place as before, but everything looked different. The grass was short and well-tended. A nearby green gate was broken into its most basic parts. He noticed four locks lying on the ground that faded into nothing. The most notable difference was the weather. Instead of a raging thunder storm, it was now a peaceful drizzle.

Luigi looked down at himself. He was wearing a red raincoat with pink rain boots. "Mario...Peach..." He whispered. He undid the buttons on the coat and pulled it apart to reveal the same attire that Mr. L was wearing seconds ago. Without thinking, he reached into his raincoat and pulled out an orange umbrella. "Daisy..." He took a deep breath and opened the umbrella, holding it above his head.

Confused and disoriented, Luigi walked through his mindscape. He had no idea how he was supposed to get out, so he decided to wander aimlessly until he found an exit of some sort. He crossed a forest, where the trees were filled with colored orbs. As he passed by, some of the orbs lost their electricity. Just as he thought he was never going to get out, he noticed a large seed with leaves growing out of it. Luigi gulped, feeling a new sense of dread. The floro seed. However, just as he saw it, it disintegrated into nothing.

Luigi stared, feeling a sudden surge of pride. Now that he had these memories, he had come to accept something about himself that he had tried to push away. Even better, he knew that it wasn't such a bad thing. He _was_ Luigi Mario, hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario's younger twin. But he was someone else too. After so much denial and fear, Luigi had come to accept himself.

With his lips curling into a smile, Luigi whispered, "I am Mr. L..."

* * *

 _This chapter came out unexpectedly short. Not only that, but it was actually twice as long before I cut out the unnecessary dialogue. (It was making it boring to read.) Well, think of it as a break after all the long chapters I made you guys read through. Some of the dialogue here may or may not have been inspired by one of the reviews left here. (Shout out to ViolaHarmony!)_

 _So, if you're unsatisfied by this ending, I have another one planned out that I might type after the next chapter is done. The next chapter will be the conclusion and contain what I originally planned for the epilogue. I think you guys will like what happens there. ;)_

 _Let me know if you guys want the alternate ending as well so I can get to work on it!_

 _Next Time: Now that Luigi and Mr. L are one and the same again, it's time to wrap up any loose ends with the others. Later, Mario and Luigi go on a double date with the girls, where an unexpected surprise waits for Daisy..._

 _-Colorful and Free_


	11. Summer Sunset

Luigi opened his eyes and found himself on the couch in the living room. He was surprised to see so many familiar faces. Everyone was here for him, people from both parts of his life. "Give him some room," Count Bleck commanded. (Or did he go by Blumiere now?) The others stepped back in response.

Luigi's throat was filled with cotton. "You're all here..."

A familiar red blob emerged from the crowd. "Luigi?" Mario asked. "That's really you, isn't it?"

Luigi blinked back tears. He tried to smile, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Everyone had told him what Mr. L was like and the things he had done, but for the first time, he could see it for himself. He hurt Mario and pretended to enjoy it. He wanted to love and protect him, but he couldn't understand why, and for that, he hated Mario more. Oh Grambi. What had he done?

Luigi ran to Mario and wrapped his arms around him. He buried his face in his red shirt and shouted, " _Io sono spiacente, Mario!"_ Luigi didn't speak Italian unless he was with his brother, but now, he couldn't help but slip into their native tongue. _"_ _Non lo sapevamo!"  
_

Mario frowned and pat his brother's back. He didn't know what kind of things he saw, but he would ask later. _"Va bene, Luigi,"_ Mario whispered back. "It's alright."

Luigi stepped back and wiped his tears with his sleeve. "I'm fine. Really. Thank you _._ " Mario nodded, a look of concern evident on his face. The younger brother turned to Peach and smiled a little. "Hi, Peach! It's been awhile, huh?"

Peach smiled back. "Hi, Wee-gee. You had all of us worried back there."

"I'm sorry. I'm back now and I'm here to stay. You don't have to worry anymore."

"Of course, but I'm still going to be worrying about you. Toadsworth might check in on you every now and then."

Luigi laughed. "If it makes you happy, princess." Just then, a woman in a dark dress came into view. His smile grew. "Speaking of beautiful princesses..."

Without a word, Daisy walked up to him and hugged him tightly. Luigi gasped at her firm grip, but quickly recovered. "Hey, flower."

Daisy cringed. He sounded like Mr. L..."Hey, idiot."

"I'm sorry about earlier," He whispered softly. "From now on, I'm going to love both parts of me. It will take a little work, but I won't do anything stupid ever again."

"Okay..."

Luigi started tearing up again. He laughed and held her closer. "Come on, sweetheart. You knew I wasn't going to leave you."

"I know. It was just tough..."

"I understand. Thanks for believing in me back there."

Daisy opened her eyes. She gave Luigi a quizzical glance. Was he talking about when he was half-asleep earlier? But no. That would mean that he actually remembered being Mr. L. That was impossible...Wasn't it?

Meanwhile, Count Bleck grinned. "It seems that Mr. L is his former self again. Good. He deserves it."

"It took a lot of work, but-" Nastasia began, then heard sobbing. She turned and let out a sigh. "Mimi, please stop crying."

With tears running down her face and ruining her makeup, Mimi shouted, "What!? Who's cying!? I'm not crying! You're crying!"

O'Chunks sighed and held her. "There, there, lass. I miss him too."

"B-but..." Mimi groaned. "L, you big stupid meanie!""

Luigi looked over Daisy's shoulder. "Hey, Daisy? I'm gonna go over there and talk to his...I mean, my friends. Is that okay?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow, but let go of him. Luigi thanked her and crossed the room. O'Chunks saw Luigi approaching them and frowned. "S'okay, lad. We got her. Yeh don't need teh feel bad."

"Do you mind if I talk to her?"

O'Chunks looked at Mimi. "I don't know if now's the best time..."

Mimi pouted and shoved O'Chunks away. She scowled at Luigi. "What do you want, doofus?"

Luigi saw the tear stains and messy mascara on her face. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Please don't cry, dear. Seriously. There's no use crying over spilled milk."

Mimi froze. Her eyes grew wide.

There was a moment of silence. Luigi felt everyone watching him and tried to recover. "I mean, um...I'm sorry! That was rude! I don't know where that came from; it just sorta slipped out. What I meant to say was..."

The spider asked quietly, "Mr. L?"

"Well..." Luigi smiled. "You're not wrong."

A smile exploded on her lips. Mimi squealed and rushed to him, hugging him a tight embrace. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry for freaking out there! I get so worked up over nothing sometimes, and well, I thought you were asking to die or something!" She pulled away wearing a stern expression. "Next time, be more clear! It will save me tears...And makeup wipes..."

Luigi laughed. "Will do, Mimi. But just so you know, he..." He paused. " _I_ was never asking to die. I just wanted to feel like myself again. That's all."

O'Chunks laughed heartily and lifted both of them up. They gasped, but grinned when they saw that it was just their friend. "Long live the Bleck Army! Long live the Green Thunder!"

Luigi chuckled. "O'Chunks, seriously? No need to be so dramatic!"

"I can't help myself! We thought yeh was dead for sure!"

"Oh, _mamma mia,_ " He muttered, scratching his head. "Was I that over the top?"

"Pretty much!" Mimi replied cheerfully.

Mario watched the scene from a distance. His lips curled into a smile. "Thank you, Grambi."

Peach appeared beside him. "Wow. I haven't seen him so happy in a long time. I didn't think he'd still remember. I thought he'd forget everything."

"Me too," Mario admitted. "But it's probably for the best. After all, friends are apart of you. They're not something you're ever meant to forget."

Timpani cleared her throat. She was currently in her human form and she wore a bright blue dress. "I figured we would all need some cheering up, but I'm glad to see everyone's doing well." She grinned. "Just in case though, I made some lunch early! It should be ready about now..."

That got O'Chunks' attention. "Lunch!? Sorry, yeh two." He put Luigi and Mimi down and rushed off to the kitchen.

Mimi frowned. "Hey, wait for me!" She called and began to chase after him.

Count Bleck chuckled. "We should probably follow them."

Timpani sighed. "Probably, before they start demanding more..."

The two linked arms, then continued on. Mario and Peach looked to one another, smiled, then also left.

Nastasia began to follow, but Luigi called after her. "Hey, girlie!" She flinched. She didn't think she would hear that again. Nastasia turned. Luigi smiled brightly. "Thank you, from the both of us."

She replied, "No problem. But...Are you sure you're going to feel happier this way?"

Luigi shrugged. "Well, we'll have to wait and see." She left the room with a satisfied grin.

He turned to Daisy and took a deep breath. "And then there were two."

"So...Do you really remember everything?"

Luigi nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Wow. That must be awkward." She hesitated before asking, "Does this mean you remember everything that happened just now?"

"Yeah. It's weird. I didn't think he cared about me that much. In fact, I never imagined him to be as insecure as me. You know, if I concentrate enough, I can remember the conversation we had from both points of view. Crazy, right?" He turned to her with a mix of curiosity and horror. "Speaking of which...You didn't hear our conversation, did you?"

Daisy shook her head. "No, we didn't. I guess Mr. L had some control over what we heard, whether he realized it or not."

Luigi scratched his head. "Yeah...I guess so." He sighed. "I really should've reacted better when you told me that you liked him. I mean, I was upset over the fact that you were in love with...Me."

The princess giggled. "Don't worry about it. I should've considered your feelings before just laying that on you..."

"Well..." Luigi smirked. "At least we had a bit of fun in the bed."

Daisy's eyes widened. "Y-You remember that!?"

"Like I said, I remember everything now. I've never felt so complete."

She sighed. "Still...I ruined that immediately afterwards."

"You were just worrying about me. It's okay." His face grew serious as he added, "But seriously...If I'm ever acting weird and I profess my love, don't dive head first into it. At least not without talking to me about it first."

"I won't. I promise."

Luigi's smile returned. "Good." With that, he kissed her on the lips. Daisy returned the kiss and for a moment, the two melted into one.

When they parted, Daisy chuckled. "And here I thought I'd never fall for a man like Mr. L. Don't get me wrong. He was really sweet after I got to know him, but he was a bit overbearing. Plus, he had the most cheesy pick-up lines ever. He asked if I wanted to skip to dessert at that dinner date he hijacked."

Luigi snickered. "You thought he was talking about sex, didn't you?"

Daisy furrowed her brows. "Well...Wasn't he?"

Luigi shook his head. "He was asking about literal dessert. He thought you would say yes, so he would call the waitress back and order a piece of cake to share. That was his plan, anyway."

The princess tried not to smile, but she couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "Oh Grambi! That's hilarious!" In between laughter, she added, "And here I thought...You were asking me to go to bed with you!"

The plumber laughed with her. "Yeah. I guess that is pretty funny!" After they were done, Luigi grinned and grabbed her hand. "Come on. I'm starving!" With that, he walked to the kitchen with her.

As they walked through the hallway, Luigi remembered the brief moment he shared with Dimentio. They used to be so close. Now he was dead. _Really_ dead. Forever. Part of Luigi wanted to cry, but the rest of him wouldn't let the tears come. He held Daisy's hand tighter and kept on. If Daisy noticed, she didn't show it.

 _No more tears. Today's a new start._

* * *

 _One year later_

It was a beautiful summer day. Mario walked with Peach on the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach wore a white dress with a pink bow on the front. Her soft blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Mario couldn't take his eyes off of her. "It's so pretty out here..." The princess whispered.

"Yeah," Mario agreed. "...But not as pretty as you."

Peach blushed. "Oh, Mario."

The two came across a large oak tree. Mario saw an opportunity and leaned in to kiss Peach. She pushed him away gently. "Mario, wait! We still need to wait for Luigi and Daisy!"

Mario grinned. "Don't worry, Peachy! My bro takes a long time to get ready. We should be fine for at least another ten minutes!"

"Well...I guess you're right." She closed her eyes. Mario caressed her cheek and leaned in for a kiss...

 _HONK!_ The two jumped at the sound of a horn. Mario and Peach looked up. Luigi and Daisy were sitting inside Brobot 3.0. Ever since that incident with Mr. L a year ago, Luigi was more interested in mechanics and his 'metal brother.' Luigi spoke while Daisy chuckled in the passenger seat. "Hey, uh, not to interrupt your little love-fest, but can we please get this double date started?"*

Mario clenched his fists. "You idiot! How dare you ruin our moment! Get down here so I can fight you!"

Luigi smirked. "You wouldn't do that in the presence of women, would you?"

Mario looked at Peach. "Ugh...You win this round."

Luigi landed Brobot and pressed a couple buttons. A door fluttered open in the back and a set of metal stairs came down. Luigi took Daisy's hand, then walked out with her. After they reached the ground, Luigi pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The stairs went back up, the back door shut, and Brobot shut down temporarily.

"I'll consider us even now. Did you think I'd forgotten the time you interrupted our date at this very same spot?"

"Oh, come on, bro! That was a long time ago!"

Daisy laughed. "Sorry, Peachy." She pulled a picnic basket from behind her back. "Anyway, we got all the stuff you guys asked for!"

Peach, being more easy to forgive, beamed. "Oh, good! I haven't had breakfast yet! I was busy signing the last of the annulment papers..."

Daisy took out a red and white checkered blanket and set it on the grass. "Why did it take you so long to get divorced anyway? Don't tell me you actually liked being married to Bowser!"

Peach turned red with embarrassment. "I-It's not that! It's just that I was so busy most of the time that it didn't really cross my mind. Plus, I had trouble going through with it. In fact, Junior was pleading for me not to get a divorce, but I couldn't very well stay married to him! After this long, Bowser would start wanting our kingdoms to merge and it would be a huge mess."

"Well, I'm glad you finally found the time to do it!" Mario said. "It was getting awkward. Whenever we would meet for a go-kart tournament or something, he would give me this stare that rivals even Wee-gee's on the race track and tell me to stay away from his 'precious wife.'" He added air quotes around those last words.

Luigi grinned mischievously. "So when are you and Peach going to get married?"

The two looked at one another, then blushed. "I-Isn't it a little soon for that?" Mario asked.

"I'm not ready for a second marriage..." Peach agreed.

Once the carpet was set up, Luigi put the basket down. "Alright! We got the sandwiches, fruits, veggies, and some cheery pie for dessert!"

"Awesome! I'm hungry!" Daisy exclaimed.

After the picnic, the four friends sat with full stomachs. Daisy licked the last of the cheery filling from her fingers. "Oh gosh. That was so good."

"I know. I feel I feel so full! You know, I think it's time for something special to happen." Peach winked at Luigi. The younger brother blushed, knowing full well what she meant.

"Hmm?" Mario looked at Luigi and Peach. Once he understood, he grinned. "Oh, I agree! Something romantic. You know what I mean, bro?"

Daisy noticed how Mario and Peach were acting. She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Something so romantic..." Luigi agreed. "...Involving you and Peach!"

Mario frowned. "Uh-huh. Well, if you say so, I'm gonna go on a stroll with Peachy so I can digest." With that, he took Peach's hand and the two stood.

Luigi's eyes widened. "What? But, I...Uh..."

"It's okay, Wee-gee. We'll only be gone for..." Peach paused to check her watch. "Well, just enough time for something exciting to happen."

Mario whispered to Luigi, "You've got this, bro."

With that, the classic couple left the unconventional one alone. Daisy smiled. "Boy, they're acting weird today, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose they are," Luigi whispered, trying not to show his nervousness. He cleared his throat. "So, um...You still remember Mr. L?"

Daisy froze. "Of course I do. How could I forget about him?"

Luigi played with the hem of his shirt. "It's been a year since he and I fused and yet...Sometimes, I still think about him."

"I do too," She admitted.

Luigi sighed. "Mario says that I still act like him sometimes. It's weird, because when I do it, I don't even notice until someone points it out to me."

The princess grinned. "Well, he was a bit of a goof. Do you think he's happy?"

"Well, I know I am. That means he must be too." He took a deep breath. "I still remember how it felt, being him. And as crazy as this may sound, I miss Dimentio too. I know he was insane, but I still love him. At least...I did in another life. Anyway, I'm glad I still have the Count and everyone else. The other day, he invited me to have dinner with him. It was really fun."

"I'm glad to hear that you're all doing well."

Luigi turned to face her. "You know what's interesting? Mr. L and I are really different, yet we both fell for you. And you fell for both of us."

Daisy shrugged. "I guess it means I love all parts of you."

Luigi blushed. "Yeah...All parts."

There was a moment of silence. As Daisy watched the setting sun, Luigi reached for something deep in the picnic basket.

"The sunset sure is pretty," The princess muttered.

"Uh-huh."

Daisy turned to face him. Luigi flinched and held the item behind his back. She furrowed her brows. "You okay, Luigi?"

The man in green took a deep breath, then came closer. He didn't sit down like Daisy expected him to. "I have something important I wanna ask you."

She blinked a few times. "Okay. Hit me."

Luigi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Stand up."

"Why?"

He shook his head. "Just do it. Please."

Daisy sighed and stood. "Okay. Now what?"

Luigi took another deep breath. Here it goes. No turning back now. He took the object out from behind his back. It was a small box. Luigi got down on one knee. Daisy's eyes grew wide.

He closed his eyes and said, "Princess Daisy of Sarasaland...Will you make me the happiest man in the entire universe..." He opened the box to reveal a diamond ring. Luigi opened his eyes and smiled shyly. "...And marry me?"

The princess covered her mouth. He proposed. He just proposed! Daisy didn't think that Luigi had it in him. Sometimes, she thought that she would be the one to ask. In fact, she joked with Peach about doing just that, but those feelings seemed far away now. "Oh my goodness..."

"I know we haven't been dating for that long," Luigi muttered. "But we've known each other since we were teenagers. And I think I've always liked you, deep down. Now, I know I'm just a poor plumber from Brooklyn and you're a princess. Plus, your father hates my guts and this is bound to be a political disaster, but if you would just give me a chance, then I could..."

"Are you kidding!?" Daisy suddenly interrupted. "YES!"

Daisy gave Luigi a massive hug. He fell over and Daisy kissed him passionately. Surprised and yet relieved, Luigi started to kiss back. They both stood and he put the ring on her finger. Luigi picked Daisy up and spun her around. She laughed the whole time, enjoying every moment.

After putting her down, Luigi said, "Oh, _mamma mia!_ Daisy, I love you so much right now!"

The princess laughed. "I love you too!" Before saying the next part, she stared into his deep blue eyes and fell even more in love. "...That includes all parts."

With that, Luigi and Daisy shared a final kiss as the sun set.

* * *

 _Italian to English phrases:_

 _Io sono spiacente: I'm sorry_

 _Non lo sapevamo!: We didn't know!_

 _Va bene: It's alright_

 _*Careful, Wee-gee. Your Mr. L is showing._

 _Another shout-out to ViolaHarmony because honestly, I forgot that I left Peach and Bowser married in this story until they pointed it out. I was thinking about going back and changing it, but I decided to try to explain it and address the awkwardness that would most likely go with it. XD (Not that I have any favoritism towards this reviewer; I love all of you guys.)_

 _And that wraps up the main story! So, this is the first ending. The alternate ending will be different when it comes to the conversation in Luigi's mind and everyone's reactions, but more or less the same during the picnic and proposal. Stay tuned for that. Hopefully, it will be out sometime in early April!_

 _-Colorful and Free_


	12. Ending 2: Long Live the Green Thunder

_Most of this is the same conversation as the one Luigi and Mr. L have in Chapter 10, but it starts at the part where things differ. I would recommend at least re-reading Chapter 10 first._

* * *

"Are you really sure you want to do this?"

Without missing a beat, Mr. L replied, "Yes."

"And...Are you sure you won't regret doing so?"

"Nah. I don't think so. I belong with you, Luigi. I always have."

Luigi hesitated before offering his hand. "Then...I guess it's been pretty interesting, having you here and all."

The Green Thunder smirked. "That's the best goodbye you can manage?" He pretended to make a disappointed sigh. "Fine. I'll take it." He shook his hand firmly, then gave him a hug. Luigi's eyes widened. His other self whispered, "Go out and live a happy life for the both of us, okay? One, because I don't want to die in a tiny bathroom alone, and two, because the Green Thunder deserves better. _You_ deserve better. Promise me, Luigi?"

Mr. L already knew what he had to do; no one had to teach him. He felt his soul, yearning to be connected with its other half. All he had to do was pull it out and give it to Luigi and then all of his troubles would be over.

Luigi felt himself tear up. He bit his lip and shook his head. "No..."

Mr. L's eyes opened. He pulled back and stared at Luigi with shock. "W-What? What do you mean 'no!?'"

Luigi shook his head. "I can't let you do this."

He frowned. "Sure you can. It's easy."

The plumber groaned. "Don't you get it!? Not only do you have people who need you, but _I_ need you! I can't stand the thought of everything just going back to normal and pretending like this never happened! I don't want your friends to look at me, wanting to see you, and only seeing a stranger look back at them! I-I can't face these nightmares alone..."

The mechanic smiled softly. "You won't be alone. You have Mario, remember?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to rely on him. I want to stand on my own two feet, take care of myself."

"Then this sounds counter-productive," Mr. L replied flatly. "Why don't you just let me do this?"

"Because...I'm not ready. Please, Mr. L, won't you stay with me? We can face life together, as one person or two people or whatever we are now! I'm just not ready to give you up."

Mr. L closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He should've expected this much out of Luigi. His other self was more stubborn than most people gave him credit for. "Luigi, I understand. You're scared. I've been there. But this is what you've wanted for two years now, to be your own person again. Think about it. No more switching, no more weird identity crisis..."

Luigi grinned. "It's okay. I'm fine with living with two personalities."

The Green Thunder felt his eyes grow wide. "You are?"

The plumber frowned a little. "Well...Not for the rest of my life. There will come a day when the two of us decide we don't need one another and we'll fuse and be one person again, but that day just isn't today."

The more sarcastic of the two frowned. "Oh yeah? Well, if you're so sure about this, then what about Daisy? Not to mention your family...And mine..."

Luigi hesitated. "Well...If Daisy likes you, then who am I to hold the two of you back? I'll admit that the idea was kinda weird at first since you'd be doing stuff with her that I wouldn't remember, but you can always fill me in, can't you? And it's not cheating if I'm fine with it. Anyway, I'm sure if you and Mario got to know each other, you'd get along just fine. I have a feeling I'm the same way with your family as well."

Mr. L thought about the points he made. Daisy liked both sides of them. Although she mentioned the idea of choosing between the two, it also seemed to cause both of them stress. It might be easier for her to have both of them. Luigi was also right about him and his... _Their_ brother. This afternoon proved that. And Mr. L felt better about Luigi liking his family.

Plus, although he tried to suppress them, he still had those feelings about going to Brooklyn for the first time. Meeting his real mother, like he had always wanted. Trying that gosh-darn pizza. And seeing Daisy again. Not to mention that this way, he had as much time as he needed to explore both sides of himself.

They could make it work, somehow. If they were willing to work with one another, like Luigi said into a mirror sometime ago, then maybe...

Mr. L chuckled. "So, this is it then? I came all this way...For nothing?"

Luigi shook his head, smiling. "I wouldn't put it that way. I mean, we did get to learn a bit about each other and I liked talking to you face-to-face." His smile faltered. "Though I never imagined you to be as insecure as me. I thought you were the great Green Thunder or whatever."

Mr. L grinned. "Everyone is a little insecure. However, unlike _some_ people, I'm not super obvious about it."

The plumber smirked. "Yeah, whatever. All that talk earlier about not feeling needed made it pretty obvious to me."

"Oh, shut up."

Luigi laughed, then grabbed his hands. Mr. L stared up at him, slightly surprised. The former said, "No matter what comes, let's face it together. Okay?"

The Green Thunder bit his lip but nodded. "Okay..."

This time, Luigi hugged him. His touch was warm and friendly. Mr. L returned the embrace. The light faded until everything went dark.

* * *

Luigi opened his eyes and found himself on the couch in the living room. He was surprised to see so many familiar faces. Everyone was here for him, people from both parts of his life. "Give him some room," Count Bleck commanded. The others stepped back in response.

Luigi rubbed his head. _L, are you still here?_

Although he was half-expecting it, Luigi was surprised when a voice in his head answered back. _Uh-huh. I can't believe everyone stayed for me. I mean...You. Us._

The plumber smiled and chuckled. That was when a familiar red blob emerged from the crowd. "Luigi?" Mario asked. "That's really you, isn't it?"

The man in green nodded and stood from the couch. He gave Mario a hug. "Hey, bro."

"Hey. Are you feeling any different?"

Luigi shook his head. "Not really..."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too." He let go of his brother and noticed Peach standing by. He smiled. "Hi, Peach! It's been awhile, huh?"

 _Wow. Even Ms. Pink n' Frilly stayed._

The man in green frowned. Peach didn't seem to notice. "Hi, Wee-gee. You had all of us worried back there."

'I'm sorry, but you really don't have to worry about me."

"I know, but I'm still going to worry. Toadsworth might check in on you every now and then."

Luigi laughed. "If it makes you happy, princess." Just then, a woman in a dark dress came into view. His smile grew. "Speaking of beautiful princesses..."

Without a word, Daisy walked up to him and hugged him tightly. Luigi gasped at her firm grip but quickly recovered. "Hey, flower."

Daisy cringed. "Hey, idiot."

"I'm sorry about all the trouble I've caused."

Daisy shook her head. "Don't apologize. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I feel like I should though." He hesitated. "Did I scare you?"

"A little bit," she admitted.

 _Oh, sweetheart. I didn't mean to scare you..._

Daisy pulled back so she could look at him. "It was just tough, you know?"

Luigi nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine..."

Meanwhile, Count Bleck grinned. "It seems that Mr. L is his former self again. Good. He deserves it."

"It took a lot of work, but-" Nastasia began, then heard sobbing. She turned and let out a sigh. "Mimi, please stop crying."

With tears running down her face and ruining her makeup, Mimi shouted, "What!? Who's cying!? I'm not crying! You're crying!"

O'Chunks sighed and held her. "There, there, lass. I miss him too."

"B-but..." Mimi groaned. "L, you big stupid meanie!"

Luigi looked over Daisy's shoulder and frowned. He did feel a bit sorry for them.

 _Luigi, can I talk to them?_

He nodded. "Hey, Daisy? I'm-"

 _Why are you asking permission?_

Luigi frowned. "I don't know. It seems polite, I guess..."

Daisy furrowed her brows. "Luigi, did you say something?"

 _Shoot. I said that out loud._ He tried to recover. "I'm going to talk to his friends if that's okay."

Daisy nodded and let go of him. Luigi thanked her and crossed the room. O'Chunks saw Luigi approaching them and frowned. "S'okay, lad. We got her. Yeh don't need teh feel bad."

"Do you mind if I talk to her?"

O'Chunks looked at Mimi. "I don't know if now's the best time..."

Mimi pouted and shoved O'Chunks away. She scowled at Luigi. "What do you want, doofus?"

Luigi took a deep breath, allowing Mr. L to take control of their body. The transition was quicker than he expected. He still felt like a record being switched out, but this time, he could see and hear what was happening. Mr. L smirked. "Who are you calling a doofus, Arachne? You're the one crying over spilled milk."

Her eyes widened. The spider asked quietly, "Mr. L?"

His smile grew. "The one and only." Mimi squealed and rushed to him, hugging him in a tight embrace. Mr. L blinked, surprised, but laughed quietly. "Hey...What's this?"

"I'm sorry...I just didn't mean to freak out that much. I get so worked up over nothing sometimes, and well, I thought you were asking to die or something!" She pulled away wearing a stern expression. "Next time, be more clear! It will save me tears...And makeup wipes..."

He laughed. "Will do, Mimi. But I was never asking to die. We just wanted to feel like ourselves again. That's all."

O'Chunks laughed heartily and lifted both of them up. They gasped, but grinned when they saw that it was just their friend. "Long live the Bleck Army! Long live the Green Thunder!"

Mr. L chuckled. "O'Chunks, seriously? No need to be so dramatic!"

"I can't help myself! We thought yeh was dead for sure!"

"Oh come on! I wasn't that over-the-top, was I?"

"Pretty much!" Mimi replied cheerfully.

Mario came up to the three of them. "Wait a minute!" He turned to Mr. L. "You're still...?"

Mr. L looked at O'Chunks and cleared his throat. "Oh...Sorry..." He put his friend down.

The man in green turned to Mario. He laughed nervously and shrugged. "Surprise?"

Mario didn't say anything. Mr. L took that as a bad sign and stared at the ground. "D-Don't look at me! It was your brother's idea. I thought he would pounce on the idea of fusing, but no! He said that he was actually _fine_ with having me around and...And that I helped him and he wanted me to stay...And...I don't know!" Mario laughed. Mr. L glared. "Don't laugh at me! It's bad enough that I'm confused, but you rubbing it in doesn't make it any-"

"You're so silly! So, you say this is Luigi's choice?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh..."

Mario grinned. "Then who am I to judge? I'm just glad you're both okay."

Mr. L smiled nervously. "Both?"

Mario nodded and opened his arms. "Come on. Give me a manly hug!"

The Green Thunder smiled and hugged his brother. Mario whispered into his ear. "You know what this means? I'm gonna show you our home town!"

The man in green laughed. He noticed Peach watching them, staring at them with wide eyes. Mr. L grinned and gestured for her to join them. "You know you want to, princess."

Peach looked to the side. "I-I don't know..."

"Oh come on, Peachy! I already had my group hug with one half of my family! You guys next!"

Peach smiled, shaking her head, and joined the boys in their group hug. Daisy stared at what was happening, almost not believing it. She came forward and joined with tears in her eyes.

After having a long and warm hug, the four broke apart. Daisy was about to open her mouth when Timpani cleared her throat. "I figured we would all need some cheering up, but I'm glad to see everyone's doing well." She grinned. "Just in case though, I made some lunch early! It should be ready about now..."

That got O'Chunks' attention. "Lunch!? Then I git first dibs!" He rushed out of the room.

Mimi frowned. "Hey, wait for me!" She began to chase after him.

Count Bleck chuckled. "We should probably follow them."

Timpani sighed. "Probably, before they start demanding more..."

The two linked arms then continued on. Mario and Peach looked to one another, smiled, then also left.

Nastasia began to follow, but Mr. L called after her. "Hey, girlie!" She flinched. She didn't think she would hear that again. Nastasia turned. Mr. L smiled brightly. "Thank you, from the both of us."

She replied, "No problem. But...Are you sure this is what you both want?"

Mr. L shrugged. "Have you heard the phrase 'beggars can't be choosers'? When the alternative is disappearing from existence, you can't really complain."

She was quiet. Then, for the first time in a long while, Nastasia laughed. It was soft and even somewhat girly. It wasn't howling, but it wasn't a mere chuckle either. "Fair enough! I'll be in the kitchen when you need me. Okay, L?"

He nodded. "Sure thing."

With that, Nastasia left the room with a satisfied grin.

Mr. L turned to Daisy and took a deep breath. "And then there were two."

Daisy hugged him. She let out a long, tired sigh. "You're such an idiot."

He hugged her back. "Hey, I didn't decide on it! Luigi did. Though...Hmm. That may not be the best argument." He hesitated before asking quietly, "You aren't mad, are you?"

Daisy shook her head. "No...I just thought you were going to disappear. You sounded so dramatic in that letter. I thought you made up your mind."

"I did. Like I said, I was sure Luigi would agree to fusing right away. I guess I don't even know myself."

She nodded. "Right." She let go and looked up at him with a smile. "I hope I'm not overreacting. I was just really scared."

Mr. L tilted his head. "About what?"

"You leaving...I know we've only had so much time together, but I love you. You may be an idiot, but you're my idiot."

His lips curled into a smile. "Hey, even if Luigi and I chose to integrate, I wouldn't have left. After all..." His eyes twinkled flirtatiously as he grabbed her hand. "I could never leave a lovely lady such as yourself." With that, Mr. L kissed Daisy's hand.

Daisy grinned, blushing a little. "Oh, you're such a gentleman."

He laughed. "Aren't I? Though you mostly have Luigi to think for that. He's the sweetness and I'm the sexiness."

Her smile faltered. Daisy hadn't thought about Luigi much lately and she felt guilty for that. After all, she met him long before she met Mr. L. "Speaking of Luigi...Do you think I could talk to him?"

Mr. L smirked. "You both ask permission for the simplest of things. You're too kind, you know that?" He nodded. "Okay. Just give me a moment." He kept his head level this time, staring into space. His eyes shut briefly. When he opened them again, they were the typical shade of blue.

Luigi smiled shyly. "Hi, Daisy."

"Hi, Wee-gee. Are you feeling okay? Do you remember anything that just happened?"

The man in green lit up. "Oh, Daisy, you wouldn't believe it...But I remember the conversation we just had! I normally forget, but I managed to stay conscious! He said, 'You're too kind, you know that?'" Luigi's voice dropped an octave, doing a perfect Mr. L impersonation. "And then I think he said something like, 'The helm is all yours' and now I'm here!"

Daisy was speechless. Luigi and Mr. L could communicate now? However, she felt relief flooding in. She hugged Luigi. "I'm so proud of you! It had to have been so hard just to get to where you are now!"

"Yeah, no kidding. You have no idea how many times I've tried to talk to him, only for nothing to happen. But I think the problem was that I was trying to force him to talk to me. I thought if I could just get him to go away, then everything would be fine again. But when he finally started talking to me, we were able to work together and understand one another. Now I know he was just trying to help me, even though he might not have realized it. I don't mind having him around, especially considering he was willing to give up his entire life for me."

"I'm glad you two worked things out." Daisy hesitated, lowering her head. "Hey, Luigi? Can I...?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know if I should ask. You didn't react well in the bedroom last night."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

Daisy took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "I wanted to have your permission to go out with Mr. L." Luigi hesitated, obviously thinking hard. He was being awfully quiet. What if he said no? "Don't get the wrong idea! I still love you very much and I wouldn't do anything with him that I wouldn't do with you!'

Luigi smiled. "Don't worry. You two can go for it." He grabbed Daisy's hands. "As long as I still get to have you as well..."

Daisy let out a sigh of relief. "Two smart, sweet, sexy guys for the price of one. It doesn't get much better than that."

The man in green blushed and chuckled. "You're so sweet!" Daisy laughed along with him.

After he was done, she was surprised to see silver eyes looking back at her. "I'm glad you two finally sorted that out," Mr. L muttered. He grinned, taking Daisy's hands again. "So, now that we have Lightning's permission...Wanna be my girlfriend?"

Daisy smirked. "Are you kidding me? Why are you even asking? We've already kissed so many times!"

"What? Like this?" With that, Mr. L started kissing her neck. Daisy laughed, objecting between breaths but enjoying every moment. Mr. L stopped and held her closer. "...Or do you mean like this?" With that, he gave her French kisses again. This one was so much better than the others because now she knew it was okay.

When he stopped, Mr. L grabbed her hand. "Come on! Let's go." With that, he took her towards the dining room. He enjoyed every moment with her, but it was hard to get his first boyfriend out of his mind. They used to be so close. Now Dimentio was dead. _Really_ dead. Forever.

 _I'm not gonna let us cry, Lightning, so don't even think about it._

 _...I won't. I don't want to anyway. Today's a new start._

* * *

 _One year later_

It was a beautiful summer day. Mario walked with Peach on the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach wore a white dress with a pink bow on the front, her soft blonde hair fluttering in the wind. Mario couldn't take his eyes off of her. "It's so pretty out here..."

"Yeah," Mario agreed. "...But not as pretty as you."

Peach blushed. "Oh, Mario."

The two came across a large oak tree. Mario saw an opportunity and leaned in to kiss Peach. She pushed him away gently. "Mario, wait! We still need to wait for Luigi and Daisy!"

Mario grinned. "Don't worry, Peachy! My bro takes a long time to get ready. We should be fine for at least another ten minutes!"

"Well...I guess you're right." She closed her eyes. Mario caressed her cheek and leaned in for a kiss...

"Hey, lovebirds," A deep voice said. They both jumped upon seeing Mr. L and Daisy hiding behind the tree.

Mario glared. "Hey! You ruined the mood! When did you even get here?"

"We were here, like, twenty minutes ago," Daisy said, laughing.

"See, there's Brobot over there," Mr. L added, pointing. Mario and Peach looked and saw Brobot blinking with bright yellow lights. Mr. L put his remote back in his pocket. "And you say that Luigi isn't punctual."

Mario held up his fists. "Do you want to fight?"

Mr. L shrugged. "If you want to, but I don't feel like it. At least not in the presence of women."

Mario looked at Peach. "Ugh...You win this round."

Daisy laughed. "Sorry, Peachy." She pulled a picnic basket from behind her back. "Anyway, we got all the stuff you guys asked for!"

Peach, being more easy to forgive, beamed. "Oh, good! I haven't had lunch yet! I was busy signing the last of the annulment papers..."

Daisy took out a red and white checkered blanket and set it on the grass. "Why did it take you so long to get divorced anyway? Don't tell me you actually liked being married to Bowser!"

Mr. L laughed and helped set up. He grabbed a few things out of the basket, checking on the box hidden deep below. He grinned, then allowed himself to switch personalities. Thankfully, he picked something neutral for them to wear: a black shirt and green overalls. As Peach finished up talking about her former marriage, Luigi opened his eyes.

"...Was getting awkward," Mario began. Whenever we would meet for a go-kart tournament or something, he would give me this stare that rivals even Wee-gee's on the race track and tell me to stay away from his 'precious wife.'" He added air quotes around those last words.

Luigi blinked a few times and looked around, as if wondering where he was. He quickly shook his head and asked, "I'm sorry. I just got here. What are we talking about?"

"We were talking about Peachy's divorce to Bowser," Daisy explained.

"Ah, of course! So, um...When are you and Peach going to get married?"

The two looked at one another, then blushed. Peach laughed. "It's a little soon for that, Wee-gee. Besides, I'm not ready for a second marriage."

Once the carpet was set up, Luigi put the basket down. "Alright! We got the sandwiches, fruits, veggies, and some cherry pie for dessert!"

"Awesome! I'm hungry!" Daisy exclaimed.

After the picnic, the four friends sat with full stomachs. Daisy licked the last of the cherry filling from her fingers. "Oh gosh. That was so good."

"I know. I feel so full! You know, I think it's time for something special to happen." Peach winked at Luigi. The younger brother blushed, knowing full well what she meant.

"Hmm?" Mario looked at Luigi and Peach. Once he understood, he grinned. "Oh, I agree! Something romantic. You know what I mean, bro?"

Daisy noticed how Mario and Peach were acting. She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Something so romantic..." Luigi agreed. "...Involving you and Peach!"

Mario frowned. "Uh-huh. Well, if you say so, I'm gonna go on a stroll with Peachy so I can digest." With that, he took Peach's hand and the two stood.

Luigi's eyes widened. "What? But, I...Uh..."

"It's okay, Wee-gee. We'll only be gone for..." Peach paused to check her watch. "Well, just enough time for something exciting to happen."

Mario whispered to Luigi, "You've got this, bro."

With that, the classic couple left the unconventional one alone. Daisy smiled. "Boy, they're acting weird today, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose they are," Luigi whispered, trying not to show his nervousness. He stared off into space before changing personalities.

Mr. L took her hand and smiled. "Alone at last."

Daisy chuckled. According to Luigi, he and Mr. L have been getting along better. Now, they were able to switch seamlessly. It was difficult to maintain consciousness at times, but one always made sure to fill the other in. He still wasn't ready to integrate, but Daisy didn't mind. It was amazing he had made it this far. "Do you know why they're acting weird?"

The man in green shrugged. "Beats me." As he said those words, Mr. L put one of his hands behind his back and crossed his fingers. He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. "So, Daisy, I've been thinking a lot about how things were and how they are now."

"What do you mean?"

He scratched his head. "Well...I know Luigi and I have made a lot of progress and all, but sometimes, I still wonder if I even belong here. I've been trying to help him cope and even helped him re-direct his self-loathing, but I don't know if I really fit in. I know that Count Bleck, or rather Lord Blumiere, would welcome me if I ever needed a place to stay, but that conflicts with Luigi's life. So many tough decisions, you know?"

Daisy held both of his hands. "But you've navigated through so much in the past year. I feel like you've really helped Luigi grow as a person."

"Yeah...But sometimes I feel awkward around Mario and Peach. My bro assures me that he loves me no matter what, but some of our past history gets in the way of me really enjoying it as much as I could. And then there's Peachy..."

"You really like that nickname, huh?" Daisy interrupted.

Mr. L shrugged. "I hear Mario use it all the time. She reacts better to it than my old nicknames for her. Don't get me wrong." He let go of one of her hands and raised the other one. "I still prefer you any day, _amore."_ With that, Mr. L planted a kiss on Daisy's hand.

Daisy giggled. "You don't have to be sappy to impress me."

"It's not sappy. I would do anything to make my woman happy." He paused, deep in thought. "You know, I've been thinking...The situation we have here is quite unusual. Luigi and I are really different, yet we both fell for you. And you fell for both of us."

Daisy shrugged. "I guess it means I love all parts of you."

Mr. L's eyes widened and his cheeks turned bright pink. He pretended to cough. "Yeah...All parts."

Daisy chuckled. He was cute when he showed his less confident side.

There was a moment of silence. As Daisy watched the setting sun, Mr. L stood and walked towards the picnic basket. He took a deep breath.

 _Luigi, I think you should do it._

 _I don't know..._

 _Come on. You've known her longer._

 _Yeah, but you're more confident. If I do it, it will come off as awkward and that's the last thing I want!_

They were so wrapped up in their own thoughts they didn't hear Daisy make a comment about the sunset. Mr. L nodded and muttered in response. Daisy turned to face him. Mr. L held the item behind his back just in time. She furrowed her brows. "You okay, L?"

The man in green sighed, then came closer. "We have something important to ask you."

Daisy nodded. Luigi and Mr. L still tended to use plural pronouns when referring to the both of them. "Okay. Hit me."

Mr. L frowned. "Well, stand up," He said, gesturing for her to stand.

"Why?"

He shook his head. "Just do it."

Daisy sighed and stood. "Okay. Now what?"

Mr. L closed his eyes. _Giving the helm to you, captain. You ready?_

Luigi hesitated. _As ready as I'll ever be._

The Green Thunder let his other self take over. Luigi took a deep breath, then took the object out from behind his back. It was a small box. Luigi got down on one knee. Daisy's eyes grew wide.

He closed his eyes and said, "Princess Daisy of Sarasaland...Will you make me the happiest man in the entire universe..." He opened the box to reveal a diamond ring. Luigi opened his eyes and smiled shyly. "...And marry me?"

The princess covered her mouth. "Oh my goodness..."

"I know we haven't been dating for that long, but we've known each other since we were teenagers. And I think I've always liked you, deep down. Now, I know I'm just a poor plumber from Brooklyn and you're..."

"Wait," Daisy whispered. "I hate to interrupt, but I have to know. Are you the only one proposing?"

Luigi closed his eyes and made the switch. Mr. L laughed a little. "Well, that wasn't the initial intent, but...I wouldn't mind marrying you. I've never been married before. And I think Luigi would be okay with it." _Right? Would you be okay with it? Marriage is a big deal._

 _We're already both dating her. I don't see a problem, unless Daisy does._

Daisy laughed. "...Never been married before!"

"You don't have a problem with this, do you? I'm fine if you don't want..."

"Are you kidding!? YES!"

Daisy gave Mr. L a massive hug. He fell over and Daisy kissed him passionately. Surprised and yet relieved, he started to kiss back. For a moment, he gave Luigi partial control and all three savored the kiss. Making another fluent switch, Luigi took full control of his body. They both stood and he put the ring on her finger. Luigi picked Daisy up and spun her around. She laughed the whole time, enjoying every moment.

After putting her down, Luigi said, "Oh, _mamma mia!_ Daisy, I love you so much right now!"

The princess laughed. "I love you too!" Before saying the next part, she stared into his deep blue eyes and fell even more in love. "...That includes all parts."

With that, Luigi and Daisy shared a final kiss as the sun set.

* * *

 _I hope this didn't feel like the exact same ending as before. I changed up the dialogue a bit and cut out some things that would be redundant if left in this version. So, these were the two endings that I felt torn between. I put up a poll earlier, but each option got the same amount of votes, so I decided to just write both. I'm a little unsure on which I like better._

 _So, that's the conclusion of SBG! I might do a short story about Mario and Mr. L (and maybe Daisy) going to Brooklyn together, but the main story is done. Thank you all so much for reading and supporting me on this journey. I believe this is the first major fanfic I've completed and I'm so proud of myself. I'd especially like to thank NormanWhitesmith, Pikminfan, Anonymous Girl Gamer, and SpaceDimentio for reviewing often and kinda serving as my cheerleaders/motivation. I look forward to when you guys leave a comment. (Of course, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, reviewed, and all that jazz as well.)_

 _If you want more of this type of thing, check out Thunder Storm. It's a prequel, but your favorite green asshole is the leading man. (And he doesn't share that title with Luigi, at least for the most part.)_

 _-Colorful and Free_


End file.
